Hyderabad: The Congress party’s lack of strength in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) might delay its expansion to cover areas within the Outer Ring Road (ORR). For this expansion to happen, nearby municipalities and corporations need to merge with the GHMC, and a formal resolution must be passed.
Initially, the government planned to expand the GHMC boundaries up to the ORR. However, for better administrative management, it later considered dividing the GHMC into multiple corporations. Currently, there are 20 municipalities and seven municipal corporations near the GHMC that would need to be merged into it for the expansion.
One major hurdle is the lack of a Congress majority in the GHMC. Even though the Mayor, G Vijayalakshmi, and Deputy Mayor, M Srilatha, have joined Congress, the numbers favor parties like the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM).
To address this, the government may form a committee to explore various possibilities regarding the merger and division of the GHMC. This committee could be given a year to submit its report. In the meantime, the current GHMC term may end, providing the government with time to decide on the merger and potentially delay elections.
If the expansion is approved, the GHMC could grow significantly, covering around 2,000 square kilometers. However, there are challenges. Many nearby civic bodies lack basic facilities, which has led to opposition against the merger. These municipalities argue that apart from tax collection, they won’t gain much from joining the GHMC. There are also issues of encroachments and illegal constructions in these areas, largely due to inadequate oversight.
