GHMC delimitation map: HC orders disclosure of ward-wise population data in 24 hours

Hyderabad: On Wednesday, the Telangana High Court refused to grant any interim relief in a writ petition challenging the GHMC delimitation preliminary notification.

The HC Single Bench, comprising Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy, ordered GHMC Commissioner RV Karnan to place ward-wise population details along with authenticated ward-wise maps in the public domain within 24 hours.

Transparency in delimitation exercise

The court further observed that upon publication of the ward-wise population data, the petitioners would be entitled to submit objections or additional objections, if any, within a period of two days thereafter.

The directions were issued to ensure transparency in the delimitation exercise and to enable affected citizens to meaningfully exercise their right to object.

The writ petition was filed by Ponna Venkat Ramana, a resident of Padmavathi Nilayam, Aliyabad, Hyderabad, seeking a stay of the preliminary notification, released on December 9, on the ground that objections submitted by the residents had not been considered by the GHMC Commissioner.

The petitioner specifically challenged the delimitation of Ward No. 104 as published in the Telangana Gazette Notification No. 717, contending that the process violated the provisions of the Telangana Municipal Corporations (Delimitation of Wards) Rules, 1996, and the GHMC Act.

‘Delimitation not done hastily, part of comprehensive process’

During the hearing, Advocate General A Sudershan Reddy informed the Court that the decision to proceed with the delimitation of wards in GHMC was not taken hastily or overnight.

He submitted that the exercise was undertaken after considering all relevant aspects from the outset and was part of a comprehensive process initiated by the State Government.

‘Delimitation will benefit people’

The Advocate General further stated that the delimitation would benefit the people of Telangana, particularly in view of the expansion of municipal limits to include areas falling within the Outer Ring Road.

3,102 objections received on delimitation exercise

The Advocate General also apprised the Court that each objection received had been assigned a unique identification number and that, as of December 17, a total of 3,102 objections had been received. He assured the Court that all objections would be duly examined and replied to by the authorities.

State govt did not disclose ward-wise population figures to public

Countering these submissions, Senior Counsel J Prabhakar, appearing for the petitioner, contended that the petitioner’s objections had not been considered at all.

He questioned the basis on which the delimitation exercise was carried out, pointing out that the State Government had failed to disclose ward-wise population figures in the public domain, thereby depriving citizens of the opportunity to raise informed objections.

After hearing the parties, the Court declined to stay the preliminary notification but emphasised the need for transparency and public access to population data, leading to its directive to the GHMC Commissioner to immediately upload the relevant details for public scrutiny.