GHMC May Be Divided Into 172 wards

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) may be divided into the 172 wards for the next elections.

According to sources, the GHMC, which has been assigned the task of the delimitation of election wards as per the 2011 census, has sent a letter to the State Government proposing the division of GHMC area into 172 wards.

It is likely to begin the process of the delimitation upon the receipt of the necessary approval from the State Government.

It may be mentioned that the Telangana Government on October 22 had directed the then GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar to begin the process of the delimitation of the election wards as per the census of 2011. The GO Ms No 12, issued by the Municipal Administration Department, was based on the direction of the High Court dated August 25, 2014, wherein the authorities were asked to carry out the delimitation of the wards as per the 2011 census before holding the next GHMC polls.

According to the 2011 census, the population of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area is 67,31,790, and for implementing the orders of the High Court, the delimitation of the wards in the GHMC area has to be taken up after fixing the number of elected members. Sources say that the GHMC has proposed that the number of elected members be 172 as each division would then have a population of about 40,000.

The term of the elected GHMC came to an end on December 3, and the State Government has appointed a Special Officer (Somesh Kumar) for a period of six months. Sources say that it may take another three months for the GHMC to complete the delimitation process. However, it is not yet clear whether the State Government will hold the GHMC elections or wait for the by-elections to be held in Sanathnagar as Talasani Srinivas Yadav, who was elected on a TDP ticket in the 2014 general elections, has resigned from the seat to join the State Cabinet. (INN)