In a significant move for urban administration in Hyderabad, the Telangana government has passed orders to trifurcate the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Instead of one large body, the city now consists of three separate corporations: GHMC, Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation (MMC), and Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC).
The development comes a day after the Greater Hyderabad Council’s term ended on February 10. In two separate orders issued on February 11, the Telangana government reorganized the GHMC into the three bodies, effectively dismantling the existing structure.
The new appointments see RV Karnan continuing in his role as GHMC Commissioner, while G Srijana and T Vinay Krishna Reddy have been posted as the new commissioners for Cyberabad and Malkajgiri Municipal Corporations respectively.
The trifurcation decision was met with much controversy last year due to an expansion of the corporation’s jurisdiction from 650 square kilometers to over 2,000 sq km, increasing its wards from 150 to 300. The Opposition parties, including the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), expressed concerns about potential loss of influence, particularly by the AIMIM in the Hyderabad area.
With the GHMC still intact but with a smaller jurisdiction now, it remains to be seen if the AIMIM will indeed maintain or potentially strengthen its presence within the city.
According to Government Order No 55 dated February 11, the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation encompasses the former Greater Hyderabad zones of Serilingampally, Kukatpally, and Qutubullapur. Similarly, the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation now includes the former zones of Malkajgiri, Uppal, and LB Nagar from the GHMC. The remaining zones of Shamshabad, Rajendranagar, Golconda, Charminar, and Khairatabad fall under the jurisdiction of the GHMC.
