HYDERABAD: As part of its plan to create a Greater City Corporation (GCC) or multiple corporations within the Outer Ring Road (ORR), the state govt will merge 24 municipalities into the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in Jan 2025 when these urban local bodies complete their term. Once merged into GHMC, the govt can expedite the GCC process and complete it before Dec 2025 or earlier.
The state Govt plans to appoint a committee or consultant to study infrastructure, reven-ue resources, on the ground before finalising the GCC.
“The chief minister has instructed that it should be a mix of both already developed and under-developed areas. For instance, GHMC south zone areas, especially the Old City, cannot be clubbed with other under-developed areas, and areas with better infra such as Serilingampally can’t be brought under developed areas. If the corporation mixes developed or under-developed areas, they will be financially sound also,” said a senior official of the municipal administration department.
Sources said the merger of surrounding municipalities and villages with ORR would cover about 1,800 square km to 2,000 square km. As of now, the GHMC area is about 650 square km.
Since the jurisdiction till ORR is too big, officials suggested three corporations in place of GHMC, with each about 600-650 sq km. Earlier, only two corporations were proposed in place of GHMC. CM Revanth Reddy is likely to take a decision.
The CM told the officials that while bringing civic bodies into the GCC, there should not be any jurisdiction issues or confusion such as half of one panchayat in GCC and rest in another municipality outside the ORR, assembly constituency or district.
A couple of months ago, 51 villages near the ORR were merged with 13 abutting municipalities. The newly-merged gram panchayats in Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Sangareddy have now become part of 13 municipalities — Shamshabad, Pedda Amberpet, Narsingi, Tukkuguda, Medchal, Dammaiguda, Nagaram, Pocharam, Gundlapochampally, Thumkunta, Ghatkesar, Tellapur, and Ameenpur — until the new mega corporation or corporations are created.
