HYDERABAD: A local MIM leader of Old Malakpet goes around the corporation ward claiming that he has been nominated as the ward committee member from his locality thanks to the blessings of his mentor, the local MLA. Ask him for proof of his nomination and he goes silent.
This is not an isolated case: There are some 1,400-odd local leaders in a similar situation, making a mockery of the ward committee system as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is yet to give the official tag to nominated members.
It has been more than two and a half months since as many as 1,432 candidates — of the total 1,500 — were nominated as ward committee members to 146 GHMC wards by the General Body but the GHMC is yet to issue proceeding orders to officially designate them as ward committee members. The members were unanimously selected in a Special Council meeting on December 4, 2016 through a voice vote and proceeding orders ought to have been issued within a week. But, the orders have been kept in abeyance since and their nomination stands ineffective. Sources said that the issuance of proceeding orders to members may take more time for various reasons.
One of these reasons, according to sources, is that the ruling TRS corporators want to change certain ward members who were recommended by local MLAs, MLCs and MPs. During the nomination process, a serious tussle took place between Legislators and Corporators, each side wanting their preferred candidates to be appointed to the ward committees. Besides, a majority of corporators do not want ward committees to function as they might undermine or weaken their authority.
Instead, this stalemate has weakened ward committees that play an important role in supervision of sanitation, drainage, water supply, street lights, repairs to roads, maintenance of markets, parks and play grounds. P4