Telangana to replace GHMC Act with New Core Urban Act

The Telangana government has decided to replace the existing Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Act with a new “Core Urban Act,” aimed at streamlining governance and strengthening civic administration in the state’s key urban clusters.The proposed legislation will be enforced in the three newly carved municipal corporations of Cyberabad, Malkajgiri and Greater Hyderabad, which were recently bifurcated from the GHMC jurisdiction.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who chaired a high-level review meeting with municipal administration officials, directed that all permissions and development works in the core urbReddy stressed that development works in municipal areas should be given top priority under the state government’s upcoming 99-day programme. He emphasised that sanitation and cleanliness must receive immediate focus in what is being termed the Core Urban Region (CURE), comprising the three municipal corporations.
Officials were instructed to identify designated garbage dumping points to curb indiscriminate waste disposal across the city. The Chief Minister directed that strict action be taken against individuals and establishments dumping garbage outside earmarked locations.In view of a reported rise in food adulteration cases, Reddy ordered the installation of CCTV cameras in the kitchens of all hotels within the city limits. These cameras are to be linked to the state government’s command and control centre for monitoring.CM also called for frequent inspections to ensure food safety standards are maintained and suggested introducing a rating mechanism to evaluate hotels based on compliance and hygiene measures.
The Chief Minister directed officials to prioritise road construction in the core urban area, ensuring adherence to technical standards under the employment guarantee scheme. He stressed the need to fix accountability for both construction and maintenance of roads.To avoid jurisdictional confusion, Reddy ordered that all roads currently under the Roads and Buildings Department and other agencies within the core urban limits be transferred to the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department. Centralising responsibility under a single agency, he noted, would accelerate maintenance and execution of works.
Fire safety in high-rise buildings was also highlighted as a critical concern. The Chief Minister instructed officials to procure modern equipment and technology to prevent fire mishaps and strengthen emergency response mechanisms.Additionally, he directed the installation of water harvesting wells across the city to preserve rainwater and improve groundwater recharge.Reviewing progress on new government buildings in the proposed Hyderabad outskirts under the ‘Bharat Future City’ initiative, Reddy instructed departments to secure necessary clearances and complete construction within stipulated timelines. He emphasised that quality must remain the top priority in all infrastructure projects.