Hyderabad: A coalition of civil society organisations, workers’ unions, urban planners and activists under the banner of the Telangana Urban Struggles Forum (National Alliance of People’s Movements) has urged the Telangana government to withdraw the proposed Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026, arguing that it undermines constitutional principles of local self-governance and centralises power in unelected bodies.
In a detailed representation submitted to Special Chief Secretary (MA&UD) Jayesh Ranjan, the forum sought fresh consultations with elected representatives, workers’ organisations, community groups and civil society before the legislation is taken forward.
The submission follows a day-long consultation held in Hyderabad on July 22, where representatives from workers’ unions, community organisations, urban governance experts and think tanks examined the Bill clause by clause. According to the forum, the legislation was drafted without any meaningful pre-legislative consultation and suffers from a lack of public participation.
Constitutional concerns
The forum’s primary objection is to the proposed CURE Apex Governance Council and CURE Executive Committee, which it says would concentrate decision-making powers in unelected authorities while diminishing the role of municipal corporations and elected representatives.
The memorandum argues that the governance architecture envisaged under the Bill violates the spirit of Part IX-A of the Constitution, which recognises municipalities as institutions of self-government. It points out that the Apex Governance Council would not include elected representatives of municipal corporations but would nevertheless exercise overarching powers to approve policies, plans and governance frameworks, with the Executive Committee mandated to implement its decisions. The forum has recommended that the entire chapter creating these bodies be deleted.
Local governance
The coalition has also expressed concern over what it describes as a significant dilution of Ward Committees. It says the proposed law removes several powers currently available under the GHMC Act, including the right to seek information from municipal authorities, supervise civic services, monitor schools and health centres, prepare ward development plans and assist in implementing government welfare schemes.
According to the memorandum, these changes amount to a rollback of local self-governance and violate the constitutional principle of democratic decentralisation. It has urged the government to restore the existing provisions relating to Ward Committees under Section 8-A of the GHMC Act.
Drafting issues
The forum has criticised the Bill for lacking a Statement of Objects and Reasons or even a substantive preamble explaining why a new governance framework is required. It argues that the legislation does not identify deficiencies in the existing urban governance structure or explain why the proposed institutional framework is the appropriate solution.
The memorandum also flags what it describes as drafting inconsistencies, including outdated references, overlapping powers with existing authorities and excessive delegation of legislative powers to the executive without adequate safeguards.
Safeguards
Besides seeking withdrawal of the Bill, the forum has proposed a series of amendments aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and citizen participation. These include establishing a statutory public grievance redressal mechanism, introducing stronger safeguards for digital governance and data protection, harmonising the Bill with existing laws on solid waste management, gig workers, disaster management and animal welfare, and limiting the extent to which key provisions can be left to executive rule-making.
It has also sought mandatory public consultation before framing subordinate rules under the proposed law.
Earlier demands
The forum reiterated demands it had made earlier this month, including extending the public consultation period to 60 days, publishing the Bill in Telugu and Urdu, simplifying the feedback process, publicising the draft legislation more widely and conducting consultations at the ward, circle and zone levels. It said these steps were necessary to ensure broader public participation in a law that proposes to restructure governance across the Hyderabad metropolitan region.
The memorandum concludes by urging the government to hold an in-person consultation with stakeholders after examining all public submissions and to publish a detailed analysis explaining which suggestions have been accepted or rejected, along with the reasons for those decisions.
What is CURE Bill about
The Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026, or CURE Bill, seeks to create a single legal framework for governing Hyderabad’s urban region within the Outer Ring Road (ORR). The government says the region has grown into Telangana’s principal economic hub, but is currently administered under different municipal laws, resulting in fragmented planning and uneven delivery of civic services.
The proposed law aims to bring 28 urban local bodies—comprising the existing GHMC area, 20 municipalities and seven municipal corporations—under a common governance framework. It proposes integrated planning for civic services such as roads, water supply, sewerage, drainage and solid waste management, while establishing new coordinating bodies, including a CURE Apex Governance Council and Executive Committee, to oversee metropolitan-level planning and administration.
