15,000 citizens to oversee development of Greater Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Six hundred ward committees and 15,000 members will be actively involved in developmental activities in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The civic body will constitute four committees —youth, women, senior citizens and emiment persons — with 25 members each in all the municipal division. In other words, 150 municipal divisions will have 600 committees.

The state government also incorporated 50% reservations to women in 150 divisions in the GHMC Act. As of now, 50% reservations are being implemented through an executive order (GO). In 2016 GHMC elections, 75 divisions of 150 were reserved for women. An amendment was also made to continue reservations for SC, STs, BCs and women for two terms i.e., 10 years. This means, BC reservations made in 2016 would be continued for this election too.
The assembly on Tuesday approved five amendments to the GHMC Act, making provisions for ward committees, 50% reservation for women, revision of BC quota in GHMC wards for every 10 years, earmarking 10% budget for green cover improvement and state government’s role while deciding schedule for elections by the State Election Commission (SEC).
While introducing the amendments in the assembly, municipal administration and urban development minister KT Rama Rao said the ward committees were being proposed as the government believes in ‘participatory democracy’. “The ward committee members are not affiliated to any party and majority of them will be from residential and colony welfare associations. They would be involved in improving sanitation and green cover, discourage plastic usage, solid waste management and removal of encroachment in their respective divisions,” KTR said. He also clarified that the members would not intrude into powers of corporators or officials.
Like other municipal bodies and panchayats, government also made it mandatory earmarking 10% of the civic body’s budget for improving green cover in Greater Hyderabad. “As of now, only 2.5% of the budget is being spent on greenery, which will now go up to 10%. With the efforts of the government, green cover in the state has increased by 5-6% in the past few years,” the minister claimed. The ward members and special or nodal officers have to ensure survival of the saplings. If the survival rate is less than 85%, respective ward member would disqualified and special officers would be removed.
The state also incorporated a rule in the Act that the State Election Commission (SEC) should consult the state government while finalising election schedule for holding elections. “There are many issues for holding elections such as availability of staff, law and order issues, natural calamities, which need to be arranged by the government machinery,” the minister said. On reservations to women and BCs in GHMC council, he said TRS had given 79 tickets to women in previous elections and more than 33% divisions to BCs.