Peoples rule dodges civic body for 119 yrs

Hyderabad under elected bodies only for 27 of the last 146 years

Hyderabad: The upcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections, the first after the Telangana State was formed, is unique in many ways. Way back in 1869, the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad Sir Salar Jung-1 constituted municipal authority besides appointing a commissioner to look after the administration of Hyderabad and Chaderghat Boards, spread across 55 sq kms boasting of a population of 3.5 lakh. Prior to that period the municipal administration was headed by the Kotwal-e-Baldia, the city Police Commissioner.

For the first time, the denizens were given an opportunity to elect their representatives in 1934, a year after Chaderghat Municipality was merged with Hyderabad to form a municipal corporation. However, it did not last long.

In 1942, the city lost its corporation status owing to an ascendancy war between the Baldia and government officials. Meanwhile, Secunderabad Municipality was formed in 1945. Later in 1950, the government created Hyderabad and Secunderabad Corporations under Hyderabad Corporation Act.

A decade after (August 3, 1960), both the corporations were merged into one, christened as Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) with 254 localities divided into 100 divisions, four zones and seven circles for administrative purpose.

Merging 12 municipalities and eight gram panchayats from both Ranga Reddy and Medak districts with the MCH, the government formed Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in 2007. As of now, the GHMC is divided into five zones (South, East, North, West and Central zones), 18 circles and 150 divisions spread across 650 sq. kms.

Surprisingly, barring just 27 years in the 146-year history of Baldia, the municipal administration was always under the control of in-charges. Post-Independence, the elections for Baldia were conducted in 1960 (first after the formation of Andhra Pradesh), 1964 and 1968.

Then a long pause, the election was again conducted in 1986. The next election that was slated for 1991 was postponed till 2002. First election after the formation of GHMC was conducted in 2009.During its evolution from 1869, the Baldia witnessed an exponential growth, both geographically and demographically.

While the 55-sq km municipal area increased to a whopping 650-sq km, the 3.5 lakh population exploded to around 67 lakh in the last 146 years. It may be mentioned here that besides the activities of the municipal administration, the Seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan formed ‘City

Improvement Board’ (CIB) in 1912 to develop the city with emphasis on civic amenities such as laying roads, improving sanitation and hygiene, after the city was mauled by two catastrophes – Musi floods in 1908 and plague malady in 2011 which claimed thousands of lives.