HYDERABAD: BJP state president N Ramchander Rao on Friday said the party would oppose the Telangana government’s proposal to expand the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation by merging more than 20 urban and local bodies within the ORR.
He met party MLCs, GHMC floor leaders and other Hyderabad leaders at the state office before addressing the media. Ramchander Rao said the proposal was “unscientific and politically motivated” and would affect the public. He argued that decentralisation was needed for effective administration, but the government was moving towards greater centralisation.
Ramchander Rao recalled that the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad had earlier been expanded into GHMC, and more areas were added later. The present plan to merge recently created municipalities would only add to public hardship.
He said that if the merger was carried out, the population within the GHMC could cross 2 crore but its infrastructure was inadequate. The BJP leader added that residents would face higher taxes, pointing to earlier variations in tax structures between areas such as Banjara Hills and Malkajgiri.
He said GHMC was already in a financial crunch and development in existing municipalities was weak. He asked how civic issues such as sanitation, bad roads, drainage, garbage, street lighting and water supply would improve after another merger.
Ramchander Rao alleged that the Congress government was following policies similar to the previous BRS regime and said the move would benefit the real estate sector. He also criticised the HILT policy, saying over 9,000 acres were being diverted for real estate and urged the state government to withdraw the proposal immediately.
