In a stinging rebuke, Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Wednesday denounced Telangana’s trifurcation of Hyderabad, Gajwel, and Nalgonda municipal bodies as unlawful. The move, he claimed, came in defiance of central instructions following the census notification, sparking a fresh political row.
‘Despite a clear nationwide order against splitting revenue villages or wards, the state government forged ahead,’ Reddy told the media, terming it a ‘complete illegality.’
He invoked Census Directorate mandates freezing changes until after May 2027, post-December 31, 2025. ‘Telangana has willfully ignored these,’ the senior BJP figure asserted.
With municipal elections underway, Reddy accused the Congress regime of illicit transfers of IAS and other officials, violating EC standards. The GHMC split into three, he insisted, is another electoral foul play.
Villages distant from city cores were lumped into urban corporations without plans, endangering MGNREGA benefits for the underprivileged. ‘No comprehensive strategy or resources in place,’ Reddy criticized.
GHMC’s expansion from 650 sq km to over 2,000 sq km lacks proportional infrastructure, decided unidirectionally sans public input. ORR boundaries were inconsistently applied—excluding vital hubs like the airport while embracing AIMIM strongholds for political gain.
Reddy’s broadside paints a picture of hasty, partisan urban reconfiguration, potentially disrupting services and fueling pre-election discord. As the state navigates these changes, questions over legality and equity loom large.