Hyderabad’s political landscape heated up on Wednesday as Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy fiercely criticized the Telangana government’s decision to divide the Hyderabad, Gajwel, and Nalgonda municipal corporations. Labeling the move outright illegal, Reddy accused the state of flouting central census guidelines issued post-notification.
Speaking to reporters, the BJP leader highlighted a nationwide directive prohibiting the division of revenue villages and wards after the census notification. ‘Yet, the state brazenly pushed ahead with splitting these corporations,’ he thundered, calling it a blatant violation.
Reddy pointed out that the Census Directorate has explicitly barred any administrative changes between December 31, 2025, and May 2027. ‘This is a direct defiance of those rules,’ he charged, urging accountability.
The controversy extends to ongoing municipal elections, where Reddy alleged the government shuffled IAS officers and departmental staff, breaching Election Commission norms. Dividing Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) into three entities, he argued, further contravenes electoral guidelines.
Remote areas far from municipal headquarters have been arbitrarily merged into new corporations, Reddy warned, robbing rural poor of vital employment guarantee schemes. ‘These villages thrived under rural benefits; now they’re shortchanged without infrastructure or funds,’ he said.
From 650 sq km in 2007, the new setup balloons GHMC’s coverage to 2,053 sq km across three bodies, but without matching development plans or financial backing, Reddy lamented. The unilateral decision skipped public consultation, he added.
Inconsistencies abound: the Outer Ring Road (ORR) was touted as a boundary, yet key zones like the airport, BHEL, and ICRISAT were excluded, while AIMIM-dominated areas like Rajendranagar and Maheshwaram were suspiciously included under political pressure.
As tensions simmer ahead of polls, Reddy’s salvo underscores deepening rifts between state and center over urban governance.