Hyderabad: GHMC ward redivision advanced quickly after the government merged 27 urban local bodies with the corporation. As a result, Hyderabad expanded into a larger metropolitan area. GHMC now has 57 circles, up from 30. Meanwhile, officials launched the GHMC ward redivision exercise through the election wing and town planning teams. Over the previous week, staff gathered preliminary data and completed boundary identification and mapping. After the government issued the ordinance, they formally opened the process on Thursday.
Officials noted that the merger of 27 ULBs progressed at a brisk pace. Moreover, the government issued ordinances giving legal status to the Telangana Core Urban Region and removing the 27 ULBs from the municipal department. GHMC Commissioner Ronald Rose then ordered staff to take control of all records and set Friday as the deadline. In addition, authorities placed GHMC boards at the respective municipal corporations and municipalities.
GHMC ward redivision to reshape city structure
With the merger complete, GHMC limits grew from 650 square kilometres to 2,000 square kilometres. Consequently, officials expect the current 150 wards to rise to 250 under GHMC ward redivision. They also received directions to convert the 27 merged ULBs into another 50 wards. The seven merged municipal corporations contain 215 wards, while the 20 merged municipalities include 407 wards. Furthermore, reliable sources said the government aims to compress these units into 50 wards based on populations of 30,000 to 40,000.
Officials added that teams are drawing each ward by marking natural drains, major roads or local landmarks and then tracing areas with 40,000 residents. Estimates suggest that GHMC may eventually operate with 300 wards, 50 circles and 10 zones.
Final notification for GHMC ward redivision on December 27
Authorities plan to release the draft notification for 300 wards on December 6. They will accept objections for seven days. After that, they intend to review and resolve the objections within ten days. Finally, senior GHMC officers said the corporation will issue the GHMC ward redivision final notification on December 27.