The party said that decentralization was essential for ease of governance, while the Congress government’s centralization plan will increase the population burden and tax pressures on residents.
Hyderabad:The Telangana BJP said the Congress government's decision to expand the GHMC by merging with it 27 urban local bodies (ULBs) within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) as unscientific and harmful to the public interest. The party said that decentralization was essential for ease of governance, while the Congress government’s centralization plan will increase the population burden and tax pressures on residents.
BJP president N. Ramchander Rao, speaking to newspersons, said the formation of the GHMC by merging rural areas with it had caused causing tax hikes and declining development in newly-merged zones. The anticipated inclusion of over two crore people under GHMC jurisdiction will strain infrastructure and municipal facilities, which are already lacking, he said.
Stating that public services in the ULBs were poor, Ramchander Rao doubted if the merger would improve conditions. Present at the event were chief spokesperson N.V. Subash, former mayor Banda Karthika Reddy, party GHMC floor leader Shankar Yadav and others,
The BJP accused the Congress government of prioritising ‘real estate mafia interests’ over citizens’ welfare by pushing the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation policy (HLITP) that it claimed would allocate large land tracts for real estate development. The party criticised the government for ignoring public opinion and bypassing all-party meetings before making the decision.
Ramchander Rao demanded the Congress government withdraw this decision to prevent it from turning Hyderabad into what he called a “red estate” instead of a real estate hub, warning that the move will increase taxes and reduce governance efficiency. The BJP said that globally metropolitan areas do not merge surrounding municipalities and maintaining them as independent administrative units for better management and public welfare.
Earlier, the party held a meeting with a number of senior leaders from GHMC and surrounding areas including MLCs Anji Reddy, Malka Komaraiah, deputy floor leaders in GHMC Radha Dheeraj Reddy, Narasimha Reddy and others discussed the repercussions of merging neighbouring municipalities and corporations in GHMC limits. The meeting decided to put extensive resistance to the moves of the government to make a larger municipal body in the interests of the public.
