Hyderabad is poised for a transformative administrative overhaul as plans advance to merge 27 municipalities into the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). This monumental expansion could reshape the city's governance structure and establish GHMC as India's largest municipal body.
The Massive Expansion Plan
The proposed merger would dramatically alter Hyderabad's administrative landscape. Currently spanning 650 square kilometers with 150 wards, GHMC's territory could expand to cover more than 2,000 square kilometers with approximately 300 wards following the consolidation.
An official familiar with the development confirmed that the final ward count will be determined based on multiple factors including population distribution, geographical boundaries, and administrative viability. "If GHMC is split into three or four corporations, the number of wards can vary from one civic body to another," the official explained.
Becoming India's Largest Municipal Body
If implemented, this expansion would position GHMC as the undisputed leader among Indian municipal corporations. With a projected geographical spread of 2,053 square kilometers, it would surpass all existing municipal bodies in physical size. More significantly, with nearly 300 wards, it would overtake the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (250 wards) and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (227 wards) to become India's largest elected municipal body.
GHMC Commissioner RV Karnan emphasized that the process is still in its early stages. "It is too early to comment as the study has only just begun. Once CGG completes its analysis and submits the report, the government will take a call on the final number of wards," Karnan stated.
Historical Context and Current Challenges
This potential expansion comes 18 years after GHMC's last significant reorganization. The corporation was originally formed in April 2007 by merging the 100-ward Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad with 12 municipalities and eight gram panchayats, creating the current 150-ward structure.
The existing ward system was designed for approximately 36,000 residents per ward in 2007. However, by 2020, population density had increased significantly, with each ward now serving between 40,000 to 50,000 residents. This demographic pressure has highlighted the need for administrative restructuring.
Staffing and Infrastructure Concerns
The proposed expansion raises significant concerns about GHMC's current capacity to manage such a vast territory. The civic body currently employs 4,000 permanent staff and an additional 27,000 contract and outsourced workers to serve a population exceeding 1.2 crore.
Employees have expressed apprehension about the existing workforce's ability to manage 250-300 wards with an estimated population of over 1.5 crore. U Gopal, President of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Employees' Union, highlighted the staffing shortfall: "Even after absorbing staff from the merged municipalities, GHMC may still need to recruit 20,000 to 25,000 additional personnel, particularly in key departments such as sanitation, entomology, veterinary services and transport."
The Road Ahead
The Centre for Good Governance (CGG) has already initiated a comprehensive study to determine new administrative boundaries, create a revised ward structure, and prepare a delimitation plan for the expanded GHMC. This study represents the first concrete step toward implementing the merger proposal.
Under section 3(3) of the GHMC Act, 1955, the state government possesses the authority—after consulting GHMC—to alter the corporation's territorial limits and include adjacent municipalities. The government has directed GHMC to study the merger proposal, conduct field assessments, and submit its remarks.
This isn't the first attempt to expand GHMC's wards. In 2015, the state government proposed increasing the number of wards to 200, though that plan never materialized. The current proposal represents a more ambitious vision for Hyderabad's administrative future.
The expansion plan, if executed, would mark one of the most significant urban administrative reforms in recent Indian history, potentially setting a precedent for other rapidly growing metropolitan areas facing similar governance challenges.
