HYDERABAD: At a time when the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is reeling under severe financial crisis, the civic body has decided to provide medical insurance cover to all the 150 corporators and five co-opted members this year too.
The GHMC standing committee, which met on Thursday under the chairmanship of mayor Bonthu Rammohan, decided to extend the benefits to all corporators on the lines of privileges available to MPs and MLAs. The decision will place a burden of Rs 69.50 lakh, including 18 pc GST, on the corporation. Last year, the insurance premium was Rs 49.43 lakh which now goes up to Rs 69.50 lakh, an increase of `20 lakh. The insurance cover will be valid up to August 29, 2019.
GHMC officials told Express that the risk coverage of `5 lakh per annum for each family duly covering six persons ie., self, spouse, two dependent children and two dependents (ie, either parents or in-laws) under floating insurance coverage policy. Interestingly, corporators are also exerting pressure on the mayor and standing committee members to provide them with mobile iPhones and laptops with printers.
The corporation has been finding it difficult to pay even salaries to its staff. Moreover, the ensuing Assembly election has affected its revenue collection very badly as a majority of the staff have been drafted for election duties. Thus, the collection of property tax, trade licence fee, etc has fallen drastically. Due to lack of funds no new project is being taken up and only maintenance works are being carried out by the GHMC. Some corporators justified medical insurance cover to them, claiming they risk their health on a daily basis.