Assembly passes CURE Bill amid objections

Hyderabad: The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Saturday passed the Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026 with a voice vote, though the BJP, AIMIM and CPI members expressed some reservations and apprehensions over some of the provisions.

While introducing the Bill, Legislative Affairs Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu introduced the Bill and explained its key features. He said “it seeks to overhaul Hyderabad’s metropolitan governance and replace the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955. It aims to ensure integrated coordination among civic agencies in the Core Urban Region, comprising the Greater Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri Corporations.”

The Bill proposes dedicated mechanisms for disaster management, traffic and road safety, utility coordination, climate action, lake protection and heritage conservation. It also provides for digital governance, a unified services portal, consolidated billing, smart-city monitoring, property tax reforms and streamlined building permissions.

However, while participating in the debate, AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi urged the government to refer the Bill to a Select Committee, stating that several sections and clauses required detailed examination.

Opposing the Bill, BJP MLA Palvai Harish Babu said the legislation would “harm the people but not ‘cure’ their problems.” He alleged that it would curtail the powers of mayors and corporators while giving excessive powers to the Chief Minister as chairman of the CURE Apex Governance Council, creating scope for corruption.

Harish Babu also alleged that the Bill would lead to an increase in property tax and, consequently, rents. He said the existing system calculates property tax based on annual rental value (ARV), whereas the proposed system would use capital value or market value. The BJP opposed the Bill and demanded its withdrawal, alleging that it would weaken Urban Local Bodies.

However, the Bill was passed with the support of the treasury benches.

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