A residents’ federation has urged Hyderabad’s municipal leadership to strengthen ward-level governance, improve rainwater management and simplify civic registration processes, placing citizen participation and local infrastructure on the agenda of the city’s urban administration.
Members of the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (UFERWAS) Telangana met Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, and Special Officer for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Metropolitan Municipal Corporation and Cyberabad Municipal Corporation. The delegation submitted a representation outlining issues it wants the authorities to examine.
A key demand was the strengthening of ward committees under the CURE Act. UFERWAS said stronger ward committees would support grassroots governance and give residents a more formal role in municipal administration. The representation therefore links neighbourhood-level participation with the functioning of the city’s wider civic system.
The delegation also called for rainwater harvesting pits and better road infrastructure to improve rainwater management. The demands address two connected parts of the urban drainage challenge: creating more opportunities for rainwater to be absorbed or managed locally, and ensuring that roads and related infrastructure function effectively during rainfall.
The representation further raised the issue of excess water generated by sewage treatment plants in gated communities. UFERWAS urged authorities to ensure that this treated sewage treatment plant water is collected and properly managed. The demand places the management of water after treatment within the broader responsibilities of urban planning and municipal administration.
According to the federation, gated communities are also affected by registration procedures and charges. It urged the authorities to simplify the registration process and reduce registration charges, arguing that these steps would encourage wider participation and improve compliance. The representation did not announce any change in the existing procedure or charges.
The delegation included Sitaram Dholipala, V.V. Rao and R.C.V. Badrinath, among others. Its submission brought together issues that are often handled through separate municipal channels: ward-level participation, rainwater management, roads, treated sewage water and registration of resident welfare associations.
The meeting comes as the city’s urban administration is being overseen through the offices held by Ranjan, including responsibilities connected with MA&UD and the three municipal bodies named in the representation. The federation has asked the authorities to examine its demands and take appropriate measures, but no government decision or implementation timeline was stated in the account of the meeting.
The immediate significance of the submission lies in whether the concerns raised by resident associations move from representation to an administrative response. For now, the next step rests with the MA&UD authorities and the municipal bodies to examine the proposals on ward committees, rainwater harvesting, roads, treated sewage water and registration procedures.
