Secunderabad municipal split demand lacks merit officials

Debate Over Separate Secunderabad Municipal Corporation

The recent demand for a separate Secunderabad Municipal Corporation has sparked a debate in political and civic circles. Some leaders have even threatened Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy with serious consequences.

Arguments for and Against the New Corporation

This demand, raised by political leaders and residents’ groups, claims that reorganizing the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) could weaken Secunderabad’s 220-year-old historical identity and infrastructure focus.

Officials explained that a closer look at history, administration, infrastructure planning, and governance shows that Secunderabad is closely linked with Hyderabad. Its geography will not change, even if a new corporation is formed.

Historical Context of Secunderabad’s Governance

Officials noted that Secunderabad stopped functioning as an independent civic body over sixty years ago. It was made a municipality in 1945 and became a municipal corporation in 1950. However, it merged with the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) on August 3, 1960, under the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955.

This merger created a unified civic administration that has continued without interruption. When the GHMC was formed in April 2007, Secunderabad became part of the North Zone. In May 2018, a dedicated Secunderabad Zone was created within GHMC to improve governance.

Current Governance Structure

Since 1960, Secunderabad has not had an independent municipal governance structure. Its “twin city” status is cultural and historical, not administrative. The government, which opposes a new administrative structure, points out that there is no strong fiscal or economic reason for a separate corporation.

Secunderabad does not operate as a self-sustaining economic unit. Creating a separate corporation would lead to higher per-capita service delivery costs. It would also lose the benefits of shared financial and infrastructure resources from being part of GHMC, according to officials.

Integration with Hyderabad’s Systems

From a governance viewpoint, Secunderabad is already fully integrated into Hyderabad’s systems. Policing, traffic regulation, emergency services, and disaster management are managed under the Hyderabad City Police Commissionerate. Officials warn that forming a separate municipal corporation without redefining these jurisdictions could cause operational confusion.

Officials have informed Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy that addressing service-related issues does not require a new municipal body. Secunderabad is already a separate zone, and improved accountability and administrative capacity can effectively resolve residents’ concerns.