Hyderabad: Divisions under GHMC likely to go up till 200

Hyderabad: The number of divisions in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is likely to go up to 200 from the existing 150 as the administration has plans to create one division for every 50,000 population.

The exercise will receive fillip on the promulgation of the new GHMC Act. The GHMC has plans to complete the exercise by November 2020 and release election notification by January next year.

The GHMC came into existence with the merger of 12 surrounding municipalities in 2007. Depending on the 2001 census, the GHMC polls were held in 2009. Its term expired in 2014; many approached the court that there should be 172 divisions for a population of 67 lakh. The court asked the GHMC to delimit the divisions.

The GHMC Commissioner told the government that the GHMC requires 172 divisions at the rate of 40,000 people for each division. The government did not increase divisions but ensured that each division has only 40,000 population and fixed new boundaries for each division.

Elections were held to the GHMC in January 2016 and the new governing body assumed office the next month. The existing governing body’s team expires in February of 2021.

The government machinery is toying with the idea of bringing out new GHMC Act and delimits the divisions at the rate of one division for every 50,000 people and completes the process by November 2020 and get the election notification released in 2021.

Since the 2021 census will come into force from 2024, the delimitation of divisions will take place according to the 2011 census.