Telangana Government Divides Hyderabad Urban Region into Three Corporations
The Telangana government, under the leadership of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, has officially split Hyderabad's core urban region into three distinct administrative sections. This significant restructuring divides the existing Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) into three separate municipal corporations, a decision that took effect immediately following the government order issued on Wednesday.
New Administrative Structure and Zones
According to the detailed government order, the newly formed corporations and their respective zones are as follows:
- Cyberabad Municipal Corporation: This corporation will encompass the Serilingampally, Kukatpally, and Quthbullapur zones.
- Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation: This entity will comprise the Malkajgiri, Uppal, and L B Nagar zones.
- Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation-1: The remaining zones—Shamshabad, Rajendernagar, Charminar, Golconda, Khairatabad, and Secunderabad—will fall under this corporation.
The order explicitly states that each newly constituted municipal corporation will function as a separate body corporate. They will possess the legal capacity to sue and be sued in their respective names, have perpetual succession, and maintain a common seal, all subject to the provisions of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955.
Political Context and Electoral Strategy
This administrative overhaul comes directly into view of the impending municipal elections within these corporation limits. Political observers widely interpret the move as a strategic maneuver by the ruling Congress party. The context is critical: during the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress party failed to secure a single seat across all 24 constituencies located within the original GHMC limits.
While the state government has publicly maintained that the division aims to enhance the ease of doing business and foster more focused urban development, analysts suggest a deeper political calculus. The strategy appears designed to fragment the administrative power base. Even if the Congress party were unable to secure command over one of the newly drawn corporations, it could potentially retain power in the others, thereby ensuring a foothold in the Hyderabad urban administration.
Leadership and Broader Electoral Landscape
The leadership structure for the new corporations has been established. All three corporation heads will report directly to senior IAS officer Jayesh Ranjan. The government has retained R V Karnan as the commissioner for the newly defined GHMC-1. G Srijana has been appointed as the commissioner for the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation, and T Vinay Krishan Reddy will head the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation.
This reorganization occurs as Telangana conducts municipal elections across 116 municipalities and seven corporations. Attention is now intensely focused on the pending election notification for the GHMC, which has not yet been formally issued. The outcome in these newly carved Hyderabad corporations will be a key indicator of the Congress party's urban support and its administrative strategy ahead of future polls.
