Proposals sought for merger of villages within ORR into nearest ULB

Telangana Cabinet to discuss proposal for GHMC expansion up to Outer Ring Road, merging village panchayats into urban bodies.

The Telangana Cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday might have a very important proposal placed before it with regard to the expansion of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s limits up to the Outer Ring Road.

The government had in principle decided to extend the city limits up to ORR, and as a first step towards this, constituted HYDRAA ( Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency) a few weeks ago. As a next step in this direction, the government intends to merge the village panchayats within the ORR into the nearest urban local body, so that the merger becomes hassle-free. Where the merger into the nearby municipality/corporation is not feasible, the panchayats may be clubbed to form a new urban local body, sources informed.

This comes at a time when the terms of the elected bodies in the panchayats have expired. The government has issued directions for the Panchayat Raj & Rural Development Department to de-notify the panchayats to facilitate the merger.

The Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration & Urban Development, M. Dana Kishore is learnt to have issued instructions to the Director, Municipal Administration, V. P. Gautam, to prepare proposals towards the merger of panchayats, and place them before the Cabinet meeting. The proposed extension of GHMC up to ORR may not be possible till the present term of the corporation comes to an end in December, 2026.

Further, the terms of the last of the ULBs within the ORR too should end, for their merger to happen. Special officers may be appointed to each corporation or municipality after completion of the present council’s term till the last of such councils completes its term, after which the merger process may be initiated. There are seven corporations and 30 municipalities within the ORR.