The municipal corporation of Hyderabad has a rich history and surprises. It is known to very few people that till 1869, the city police commissioner known as Kotwal-e-Balda held the functions of chief city magistrate and city municipal commissioner.
It was Salar Jung-1, who created the department of municipal and road maintenance under a district ministry and appointed a municipal commissioner for Hyderabad city in 1869.
During the same year, the municipality turned into a corporation and for the first time citizens were provided with the fundamental right to empower representatives to the corporation.
The first municipal election was organised in 1934 to include a standing committee and a commissioner into the corporation.
On August 3, 1960, the Hyderabad and Secunderabad corporations were merged into the MCH for managing an area of 73 sq.kms with a turnover of `1.5 crore.
Till the year 2007, the MCH took care of 179 sq,km with 100 divisions, four zones and seven circles with a budget of `400 crore.
However, after April 2007, it became the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, based on a notification released on April 16, 2007 by the State government.
The city was divided into five zones - North, South, Central, East and West, and 18 circles. The city grew from 175 sq.km to 625 sq.km. with a population of over 60 lakhs.
The 12 municipalities from Rangareddy and Medak districts were merged into the GHMC include LB Nagar, Malkajgiri, Quthbullapur, Patancheru, Gaddiannaram, Kapra, Kukatpally, Ramachandrapuram, Uppal, Alwal, Serilingampalli and Rajendranagar.
On August 31, September 3 and 5 this year, the State government issued orders (GOMs 407, 410 and 416) for the merger of 36 gram panchayats.
The gram panchayats that were merged on August 31 are Satamrai and Kothwalguda in Shamshabad Mandal; Narsingi, Vattinagulapalli, Neknampur, Puppalguda, Khanapur, Bandlaguda Jagir, Kismatpur, Himayathsagar, Peeramcheruvu, Hydershakot in Rajendranagar Mandal; Nizampet in Quthubullapur Mandal, Kalwancha in Hayatnagar Mandal and Kothapeta in Saroornagar mandal.
On September 3, 5 and 15 more additions were made. The GHMC population as per the 2011 census including the merger area is 71,70,545 (GHMC Population - 67, 31,790 + newly added 4,38,755). The GHMC area including the newly added area is 922.66 sq.kms (GHMC 625.52 sq.kms + newly added area 297.14 sq.kms).