The city of Hyderabad has formally stepped into a transformational phase of its urban governance after the Telangana government decided to implement a huge expansion of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Such a historic administrative reorganisation has been done by the strategic merger of twenty-seven Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) into the current structure of the GHMC. The consolidated organisations comprise twenty municipalities and seven municipal corporations that used to operate separately in the periphery of the city. This integration will facilitate the speedy development in the region and ensure that the necessary services to the citizens are provided faster and more efficiently. Through the integration of these peripheral areas into one umbrella in terms of municipal organisation, the state government has practically opened up a new horizon to municipal management in Telangana.

Demographic scale and restructuring

The most noticeable fact about this reorganisation is the sheer size of the resultant municipal unit. The overall geographical area covered by the GHMC jurisdiction has increased substantially with the formalisation of this merger, by covering an area that was effectively 650 square kilometres to a large area of 2,053 square kilometres. This tremendous expansion in size academicises the GHMC as the largest municipal corporation in India on the basis of geographical area and population.

This growth not only signifies a shift in boundaries but a historic one that depicts the fast urbanisation of the Hyderabad metropolitan area. The present population living in these new extended boundaries now totals more than 1.34 crore, and this has necessitated a strong and advanced administrative structure to handle the demands of such a huge and diverse citizenry.

The state government is developing a total reorganisation of the internal hierarchy of administration of the GHMC in order to govern this newly enlarged territory well. The main aspect of such reorganisation is the doubling of the municipal wards. The wards have been expanded to 300 after a thorough delimitation process, which had earlier been announced in the government gazette and which had been 150.

This is meant to enhance the representation of the people since the corporators will be made more available to the people they are serving. Through their geographical and demographical downsizing, the government seeks to bring the civic administration to the people and have them address local concerns with more accuracy and accountability.

Along with the wards, the government has increased the number of administrative zones and circles as well. The GHMC has shifted to a more decentralised form with twelve zones and sixty circles in place of the older system with six zones and thirty circles. The state government has set up a special team of Zonal Commissioners to manage these twelve zones, and they took over their duties immediately.

These nominations are Sanchit Gangwar to Malkajgiri, Radhika Gupta to Uppal, Hemanta Keshav Patil to LB Nagar, K Chandrakala to Shamshabad, Auraag Jayanti to Rajendranagar and S Srinivas Reddy to Charminar. In addition, G Mukunda Reddy will be appointed to Golconda, Priyanka Ala to Khairatabad, N Ravi Kiran to Secunderabad, Bhorkhade Hemant Sahadeorao to Serilingampally, Apurv Chauhan to Kukatpally, and Sandeep Kumar Jha to Quthbullapur. This new leadership that has been put in place should bring about immediate supervision and reinforcement of governance on the ground.

Enhanced capacity

The merger guarantees that the citizens of the new integrated regions will then enjoy the entire package of GHMC technical skills, funds, and normal civic services. This encompasses such essential activities as sanitation, solid waste systems, social health programs, mosquito control programs, and strong emergency departments. The expanded tax base and simplified administrative processes brought about by the merger have been highlighted to have a great potential for raising the financial and institutional capacity of the GHMC.

This increased ability has been considered a key element in facilitating balanced urban growth in the whole region. This single infrastructure will be used by the government to make sure that the development of infrastructure is fair and cuts across the core centre of the city up to the peripheral regions that used to be underserved.

The extended GHMC boundaries are an exceptional chance to introduce large-scale and comprehensive metropolitan plans beyond day-to-day services. The coordinated administration will control key aspects that include land availability, transport systems, housing projects, storm water drainage systems and environmental conservation. The government can coordinate strategies of disaster and flood management better by having a single authority controlling such sectors spread over 2,000 square kilometres. 

Conclusion

The Telangana government has provided the basis of efficient governance and overall urban development by establishing the biggest municipal corporation in the nation. Analysts and high-ranking officers believe that this reorganisation is one of the key measures towards making Hyderabad a global metropolitan city capable of competing with other cities all over the world. The new GHMC has a decentralised focus, administrative equity, and enhanced service delivery, which means that it is well placed to cater to the increasing needs of the growing population of 1.34 crore residents, in addition to enabling sustainable and successful urban life in generations to come.