Potholes in Hyderabad to be fixed in 24 hrs; GHMC releases Citizen Charter with 17 promises

HYDERABAD: Henceforth, potholes in Hyderabad will be filled within 24 hours, stagnant water will be cleared within 48 hours and footpaths will be repaired in 72 hours. These are just three of the 17 services that will be provided by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) ward level offices which will be inaugurated on June 16, 2023. The entire list of 17 services have been detailed in a Citizen’s Charter that was released on Tuesday. This charter will be displayed at all the 150 ward offices across the city.

The charter sets out a number of commitments that the GHMC will make to citizens, including providing timely and efficient services, ensuring transparency and accountability and promoting citizen participation. Officers have been designated at the ward level to ensure that the 17 services will be rendered within the timeframe. If there is any delay or default in service, a citizen can escalate the issue to a senior officer mentioned in the charter.

Last week, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister (MA&UD) K T Rama Rao (KTR) announced the inauguration of 150 ward offices on June 16 to enhance citizen participation and address civic grievances effectively. The minister shared that no other metro city in the country had implemented the ward office system and expressed confidence that other cities in the country would adopt a similar approach in the future.

Each ward office will have 10 officials to receive and address public grievances, including Assistant Municipal Commissioners designated as Ward Administrative Officers, who will coordinate the team. Other members include ward engineer, ward-level town planner, ward entomologist, ward community organiser, sanitary jawan, ward-level urban biodiversity supervisor, ward assistant deputed from HMWS&SB, ward lineman/line inspector deputed from TSSPDCL and a computer operator.