Legislators from all parties raise objections in Assembly over Municipal, GHMC Amendment Bills

Legislators across party lines raised strong objections in the Telangana Assembly to Bills proposing merger of suburban municipalities and gram panchayats into GHMC. Members flagged concerns over clarity, governance capacity, local identity and tax burden, while the government defended the amendments

Hyderabad: Legislators cutting across party lines, including the ruling Congress, raised strong objections to the Telangana Municipalities (Fourth Amendment) Bill and the GHMC Amendment Bills introduced in the Assembly on Friday. They questioned the rationale, scale and timing of merging suburban municipalities and gram panchayats into the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

Concerns were raised over the absence of clarity, administrative feasibility and the impact on local identities, taxes and livelihoods.

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Congress MLA Malreddy Rangareddy from Ibrahimpatnam constituency cautioned the government against altering the identity of Rangareddy district in the name of GHMC expansion. He warned against ignoring public sentiments.

AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi flagged rampant illegal constructions and severe staff shortages in GHMC, particularly in sanitation and enforcement, and asked how effective governance was possible without strengthening manpower. He also questioned the logic of bringing nearly 2,000 sq km under a single civic body. He pointed out that public infrastructure is crumbling due to increasing pressure caused by city expansion and that fresh mergers were not a solution.

BJP MLA Palvai Harish Babu termed the Bills vague and alleged that the mergers would burden villages in peripheral areas with higher taxes, threaten traditional occupations and raise doubts over the future of Medchal and Rangareddy districts. He demanded withdrawal of the Bills.

CPI MLA Kunamaneni Sambasiva Rao welcomed Hyderabad’s growth but urged caution, calling for expert studies on pollution, drainage, roads and decentralisation to avoid administrative chaos.

Replying to the members, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu said the amendments were aimed at strengthening urban governance and improving service delivery. He asserted that the GHMC expansion and ward reorganisation were carried out through a democratic process with public consultations. He promised allocation of funds for development of areas merged in GHMC.

The Minister said the government was considering division of GHMC into multiple corporations, currently at least three, while prioritising sustainable development, pollution control, metro expansion and efficient administration. He assured that all suggestions from members would be examined.

Apart from the three municipal amendment Bills, the Telangana Assembly also passed the Telangana Private Universities Amendment Bill and the Telangana Motor Vehicle Taxation Bill.