U-FERWAS Opposes GHMC’s 300-Ward Plan

HYDERABAD: In a move that could affect the political and administrative future of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has proposed redrawing its civic map, without actually showing the map. A plan to expand the municipal area fourfold and carve 300 new wards,drawing widespread ire from the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (U-FERWAS) for lacking visual maps and a haphazard process.

In an unprecedented show of unity, the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (U-FERWAS) has launched a coordinated battle against what they call the “map-less and arbitrary” delimitation of GHMC wards. The movement, led by federation leaders, highlights a breakdown in communication between the civic body and the 10 million residents it serves.

The trigger for this civic revolt is the state government’s December 9 notification proposing the creation of 300 new municipal wards. Authorities gave the public only seven days, until December 16, to study the changes and file objections. The release contained only textual descriptions of boundaries, with no visual maps, making the exercise incomprehensible for most citizens.

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U-FERWAS slam GHMC for issuing ward notification without maps

The United Federation of RWAs, now at the forefront of citizen resistance, has exposed a critical failure in the delimitation, affecting millions of residents across a newly enlarged municipal area, which has been published without a single official map.“They should give a notification in the paper. Usually, in any delimitation process, they will give a notification, take up the issue, and then declare the wards. Here, it all worked in a different way,” said B.T. Srinivasan, General Secretary of United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (U-FERWAS). “We want to put these issues to the commissioner, asking him for more time with proper maps so that everybody can understand.”

Frustration was clear during a strategic online meeting convened by Major Shiva Kiran, attended by dozens of RWA representatives, active corporators, and concerned citizens across the city.

The meeting organised U-FERWAS in which Major Shiva Kiran provided a clear view of the new GHMC’s scale. The corporation now covers the entire Outer Ring Road (ORR) area and has absorbed 27 new urban local bodies (ULBs), from Ghatkesar in the east to Adibatla and Tukkuguda in the south, and from Narsingi and Manikonda in the west to Kompally and Bolaram in the north. This expansion makes GHMC one of the largest urban local bodies in the country.

“We are also requesting that GHMC come up with detailed maps, as they have a very nice GIS cell. They can do this much faster, and they should have done it actually for a better understanding,” Major Shiva Kiran stated, pointing out the paradox of a technologically equipped corporation failing in basic public communication. “We’ll put some pressure on them. Request them to do this.”

Cyanam Rajyalakshmi, corporator of Vinayaka Nagar, criticized the decision to name the ward after Safilguda, a landmark outside the area. She stated, “They named it Safilguda. It is not the right name for those particular areas, as the real Safilguda is somewhere else, in Moulali. So that sounds funny.” Further Somajiguda Corporator Sangeetha Srinivas Yadav also expressed her view in the meeting.

U-FERWAS seeks deadline extension

Facing a December 16 deadline, the leaders have charted a clear, two-pronged action plan. “First thing Monday morning, we will submit a letter to extend the date and again request them to upload the maps,” Srinivasan announced, outlining the federation’s immediate priority.

Second, they are mobilising a ground-up collection of grievances. Rather than a generic protest, the federation is acting as a central hub, consolidating specific ward-by-ward objections from local residents and RWAs. “We want to take up the objections. We all want to submit those objections to the commissioner,” Srinivasan explained, detailing their grassroots approach.

Beyond maps, the federation is compiling evidence of serious flaws in the proposed boundaries, such as colonies being split and wards placed under multiple, conflicting police jurisdictions. “We want them to show it on maps,” Srinivasan asserted, indicating that visual proof is key to demonstrating these errors.

The battle represents a pivotal moment for Hyderabad’s civic engagement. On one side is state machinery pushing through a vast administrative overhaul in the shadows. As Srinivasan concluded, the stakes are high for governance itself, “Tomorrow delivering services by the corporators and even from VAT also will be difficult if we don’t have proper delimitation done.”