HC seeks GHMC poll schedule, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election Schedule,GHMC Poll schedule
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- Last Updated: Tuesday, 24 March 2015 12:10
HC seeks GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) poll schedule
HYDERABAD: Expressing disapproval over GHMC special officer Somesh Kumar's reply on behalf of the state government, the Hyderabad High Court on Monday directed the Telangana government to explain the time frame for holding elections to municipal corporation.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice Sanjay Kumar gave this direction while hearing a public interest plea filed by M Padmanabha Reddy of Forum for Good Governance, who challenged the action of the government in not holding elections to the GHMC even after the expiry of the term of the elected council.
The petitioner questioned the state government's decision to appoint the GHMC commissioner as special officer to administer the civic body instead of holding elections without delay when the constitution has no such provision.
Earlier the bench directed the state to file its counter. In response, special officer Somesh Kumar filed a counter seeking 249 days to conduct elections. Petitioner's counsel Sivaraj Srinivas took objection to the special officer filing a counter while his own appointment is under legal scanner. The bench too expressed a similar opinion.
The GHMC special officer, in his affidavit, stated that for carrying out the delimitation of wards, 147 days are required and thereafter a further period of 102 days are required for the purpose of notifying the reserved vacancies. Only then can the election process be initiated, he said.
Telangana advocate general K Ramakrishna Reddy pointed out that the delay in delimitation of wards and identification of reserved wards was due to non allotment of IAS and IPS officers between the two states by the Centre after the bifurcation. The Centre has recently completed the final allotment and the state government is now initiating the process of delimitation of wards in accordance with the 2011 census, he said and urged the bench to grant four months time to hold GHMC elections.