Hyderabad: GHMC community halls as ward offices stump citizens

Hyderabad : A city’s true worth is often measured by the quality of life it provides to its inhabitants. In this regard, while Hyderabad has made significant strides in terms of infrastructure development, it has unfortunately faltered when it comes to catering to the essential needs of its citizens. Of particular concern is the recent decision by the GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) to repurpose community halls, originally intended for the public’s benefit, into GHMC ward offices. This development has sparked apprehension among the marginalised segments of society, as the loss of these spaces for organising functions and gatherings has left them feeling neglected and overlooked.

These halls would be offering a gamut of facilities and have also turned out to be a hit among the economically weaker sections for organising gatherings, but now this has been taken by the civic body to build a ward office.

The GHMC constructed these halls with the explicit purpose of assisting the weaker sections of society in organising weddings, small gatherings, and various other functions. These halls were designed to provide amenities comparable to those found in upscale private function halls while maintaining affordability for the intended beneficiaries.

“This facility was much needed for the people belonging to weaker sections and lower middle-class families who could not spend thousands of rupees for renting private halls. Such families used to book these halls at affordable prices as they are rented for a lesser charge compared to the private halls, but the civic body is converting it to the official purpose and leaving several families distressed,” said Mohammed Ahmed, a social activist.

He said there are several such government spaces including the parks and other offices which can be utilised as ward offices but were converting people’s basic facility into a ward office. “By spending several crores as a part of the public amenities, how can this be converted into an official purpose?” he asked. These halls were built to be utilised for various purposes for weddings, small functions, recreational purposes, indoor sports, training and other social activities. With this, the GHMC also earned revenue as the halls were rented for Rs 10,000, Rs 15,000, and Rs 20,000, for each shift.

Earlier, with existing halls, the GHMC proposed 25 multipurpose function halls at a cost of Rs 95.70 crore out of which nine such facilities were already available including with the amenities like a modern dining hall, spacious parking, drinking water, green rooms for the bride and the groom, changing rooms with showers, toilets, compound walls and a community hall in these buildings.

The conversion of community halls into ward offices has already commenced in various areas including Chandrayangutta, Edi Bazar, Nacharam, Nampally, Azampura, among others and these were located near slum areas.

According to GHMC, it has undertaken the conversion of over 60 per cent of community halls in municipal limits into ward offices. The GHMC office bearers have approved a budget of Rs 5.15 lakh for the transformation of these community halls into ward offices.

In a move directed by the State government, ward-wise offices for municipal officials are being established with the objective of addressing public issues at the grassroots level. The establishment of these ward offices is aimed at ensuring swift and efficient resolution of the challenges faced by the public, thereby prioritizing prompt solutions for their concerns.