Hyderabad: Stating that there was no need to bring a Constitutional amendment for increasing the number of Assembly seats in TS, municipal administration minister K.T. Rama Rao on Wednesday expressed confidence that the much-delayed delimitation exercise would be a certainty by 2019 general elections.
“All the Centre has to do is to amend the AP Reorganisation Act by a simple majority in Parliament,” Mr Rao said, adding that increase of Assembly constituencies was incorporated in the Act itself and as such it cannot be called a fresh legislation. He said that only political will was required to bring in the amendment.
The minister was interacting with newsmen in the Secretariat on Wednesday wherein he said reorganisation of districts will bring radical changes in both administrative and political systems in the state.
“When late N.T. Rama Rao brought in the mandal system replacing the old Taluk system, there was a huge uproar by the Opposition. In fact, some movies were made at that time, highly critical of the new system. What happened after that is common knowledge. Mandals become part of the administration and have been very effective. Similarly the hue and cry over new districts, revenue divisions and new mandals also will subside and people will cooperate,” Mr Rao said.
He said radical changes like taking the district administration to the doorsteps of the people and also providing opportunity for the second line political leadership to grow will be achieved with reorganisation of districts.
Criticising former Union minister Jaipal Reddy for demanding that Kalwakurthy be made a revenue division, Mr Rao said, “These people were in power for decades, they did not do anything about it. Now they are coming out with demands. We know what to do and how to do it.”
Hinting at a total revamp of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation administration, he said that six more circles will be created in addition to the existing 24 circles.
The government intends to pass a new legislation, bringing all municipalities and corporations under one umbrella so that employees working in the urban local bodies can be transferred across the state, a provision that does not exist at present.
Stressing that the government will bring in a number of changes in the GHMC, including on road works, the minister said a new contract system will be in place for laying major roads in the city.
He said that Jaypee Engineering and Construction company had come forward to lay roads with new technology on an experimental basis at KCP and Nagarjuna circles near Panjagutta.
