GHMC ward delimitation draft triggers planning failure debate
HYDERABAD: The draft proposal for delimitation of wards in the expanded Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has triggered criticism over alleged planning failures, with sharp disparities reported between population figures and voter numbers across several divisions.
The approach of the GHMC town planning wing has come under scrutiny after the draft revealed inconsistencies in ward boundaries and voter distribution. Critics allege that the planning exercise failed to follow clear and uniform standards, particularly in core city areas where some divisions reportedly have significantly fewer voters.
Town planning officials said they worked for nearly two weeks at the Marri Chenna Reddy Human Resource Development Institute in Jubilee Hills to prepare the draft. Officials claimed they worked until 2 am on some days and as late as 5 am on others. During this period, no senior official was available at the GHMC headquarters to meet citizens.
Even after the draft was released, officials held another round of internal discussions for a few days. Following High Court directions, officials visited the institute again on Thursday. However, until late Thursday night, GHMC did not publish division-wise maps, population figures or voter data.
Why the delay
GHMC officials stated that ward boundaries were finalised based on the 2011 Census, estimated current population and voter lists. However, these details were kept confidential and were to be disclosed only after High Court directions.
An official said copies of the court orders were received only on Thursday afternoon and that there was time until Friday to comply. “That is why the data was not made public immediately,” the official added.
If this had been done earlier
For the pre-existing GHMC area, block-wise 2011 Census population data and polling station-wise voter figures are available. Based on these, officials estimated the current population. However, they had earlier stated that comprehensive data was not available for the merged municipalities.
Using available information, the town planning and election wings, along with the Centre for Good Governance, carried out the delimitation exercise across nearly 2,000 sq km. Officials said they considered division, circle and zone-level maps, while for merged municipalities, the overall urban local body maps were used.
Key parameters cited included population, voter strength, geographical area, future development, natural boundaries, old village limits, survey numbers and town survey numbers.
