The government in Hyderabad faces several challenges in merging Gram Panchayats and Municipalities into the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). This process will take at least a year for the urban local bodies (ULBs) located within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) to complete their merger with GHMC.
The first step in this merger involves obtaining resolutions from the Gram Panchayats to join nearby local bodies. There are 33 Gram Panchayats within the ORR, mostly in Rangareddy, Medchal, and a few in Medak district. Since the terms of most Gram Panchayats have ended, the government plans to merge them with nearby urban local bodies. If a ULB is unavailable, the government will create a cluster of Panchayats to form new ULBs. The Panchayat Raj and Rural Development departments have been instructed to denotify these areas.
In total, there are 33 Gram Panchayats, 20 Municipalities, and eight Municipal Corporations, including GHMC, which has 150 divisions. The other corporations involved are Badangpet, Bandlaguda Jagir, Meerpet-Jillelaguda, Boduppal, Peerzadiguda, Jawaharnagar, and Nizampet. A significant challenge will be managing the increased population within the civic body.
Once the areas within the ORR are included, GHMC’s population will reach around 1.3 crore. Officials noted that managing such a large population will be challenging for development programs and service delivery. GHMC already has 150 divisions, and adding more will increase the burden on the Corporation.
There is also resistance from people in Gram Panchayats due to the potential rise in tax burdens. Some villages and municipalities have protested against the government’s merger plans. Gram Panchayats currently receive funds from the Center under various schemes, but they may lose these funds after passing resolutions for the merger. Similarly, urban local bodies adjacent to GHMC face similar concerns. The terms of most ULBs, including Municipalities and Corporations, will end by February 2025, while GHMC’s term will conclude in January 2026.
