Ward Officer initiative: GHMC’s grievance redressal system set to undergo major transformation

The ward officer initiative entails establishment of one ‘ward office’ each in the existing 150 wards under GHMC

Hyderabad: The present functioning pattern of the grievance redressal system, employed by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), is set to undergo a major transformation with the implementation of the ‘Ward Officer’ initiative on Telangana Formation Day.

The ward officer initiative entails establishment of one ‘ward office’ each in the existing 150 wards under GHMC. People from the neighborhood can visit their nearest ward office and seek redressal for a wide array of grievances including sanitation, road restoration, drinking water supply, fogging, greenery development and even issues related to issuing of building permits and birth certificates.

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Once the ward offices are operational, the city will have 150 such centres where officials of all the wings of the GHMC will be available under one single roof. These ward offices will also have officials of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) and Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited, making them a one-stop destination to resolve all grievances irrespective of the department concerned.

The ward office will be headed by a ‘Ward Officer’ who will be aided by key unit-level functionaries from all the wings of the civic body. At present, all the 150 offices have been made ready and the list of ward officers has been prepared.

“The Assistant Municipal Commissioners (AMCs) and Superintendents working in the circle level have been appointed as Ward Officers,” a GHMC official said.

Presently, though there are various ways to reach out to civic body officials including social media platforms, officials of various wings are physically present only at the 30 GHMC Circles offices located in different parts of the city and at the GHMC Head Office (Tank Bund Road).

The concept of ‘Ward Officer’ was recently mooted by Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao.