Core Urban Act to Replace GHMC Act, Says Revanth Reddy

The State government has initiated sweeping reforms in the governance of Bhagyanagar. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has directed officials to draft a new ‘Core Urban Act’ to replace the existing GHMC Act , making it applicable to the three corporations within the Outer Ring Road limits. The key decisions were taken during a high-level review meeting of the Municipal Administration Department held at the Dr B R Ambedkar Secretariat .

The Chief Minister stated that the new legislation should serve as the basis for building permissions, fee structures, and execution of development works in the Core Urban region. As part of the government’s ambitious 99-day programme , priority should be accorded to municipal works, he said. To address the issue of indiscriminate dumping of waste in open spaces due to lack of clarity, he directed officials to identify designated garbage collection points and install signboards accordingly.

He also instructed that modern, durable technologies be adopted in road construction to ensure longevity. Emphasising the maintenance of streetlights, he called for the creation of a system wherein their operational status is displayed on a dashboard in real time , with immediate corrective action taken in case of faults.

The Chief Minister directed officials to accord high priority to food safety , ordering the installation of CCTV cameras in hotel kitchens and linking them to the Command and Control Centre. Regular inspections should be conducted to review food safety measures in hotels, he said. In view of buildings exceeding 50 storeys under construction, he stressed the need to strengthen fire safety , including procurement of modern firefighting equipment and technology.

He also called for the installation of water harvesting wells at major junctions to collect rainwater and proposed bringing all roads, including those under the R&B Department and other departments, under the Municipal Administration Department’s purview. To ease traffic congestion, he reviewed proposed elevated corridor designs and offered suggestions. He further directed officials to explore opportunities to develop historic structures as tourist destinations.

The Chief Minister instructed that government office buildings in the Bharat Future City area be completed within stipulated deadlines. He also ordered measures for the conservation and beautification of major lakes and ponds in the city.

The meeting was attended by Chief Minister’s Advisor Vem Narender Reddy, Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, and other senior officials.