Telangana Cabinet to Consider Merging Village Panchayats with GHMC for Urban Expansion
Hyderabad – In a significant development, the Telangana Cabinet will deliberate today on a proposal to merge village panchayats located within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). This proposed merger is designed to streamline urban administration and enhance infrastructure by extending GHMC’s jurisdiction to include the areas up to the ORR.
M. Dana Kishore, Principal Secretary for Municipal Administration & Urban Development, has instructed V.P. Gautam, Director of Municipal Administration, to draft the merger proposals for the Cabinet’s consideration. The expansion plan encompasses seven existing corporations, 20 municipalities, 33 village panchayats, the Secunderabad Cantonment, and 61 Industrial Area Local Authorities.
The state government has already made initial moves toward this expansion with the establishment of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) in recent weeks. This initiative comes as the terms of the elected bodies in the panchayats are nearing expiration. The Panchayat Raj & Rural Development Department has been tasked with de-notifying these panchayats to facilitate the merger process.
However, the complete integration of GHMC up to the ORR may not be fully realized until the current term of the corporation concludes in December 2026. Additionally, the terms of the existing urban local bodies (ULBs) within the ORR must end before the merger can commence. During this transitional period, special officers may be appointed to manage each corporation or municipality until the merger is finalized.
In cases where merging with adjacent municipalities or corporations is not feasible, the village panchayats may be consolidated to create new urban local bodies. This strategic move aims to enhance administrative efficiency and infrastructure development across the expanding urban area.
