GHMC Plans Major Administrative Reorganisation: 12 Zones and 60 Circles Proposed
Hyderabad | December 24, 2025 | www.deccanlive.com
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is preparing for a major administrative reorganisation by increasing the number of zones from 6 to 12 and circles from 30 to 60. This move is aimed at improving governance after the city’s recent expansion.
GHMC Commissioner R.V. Karnan has focused on the next phase of restructuring after the completion of division reorganisation. A detailed plan has already been prepared by the GHMC central office and is now awaiting approval from the state government. Once the government gives its approval, new orders will be issued to redefine the boundaries of divisions, circles, and zones. Senior officials said the entire process is expected to be completed within a week.
GHMC Area Expanded
Earlier, GHMC covered an area of 650 square kilometres, managed through 6 zones and 30 circles. After the merger of 27 surrounding urban local bodies, the Greater Hyderabad area has expanded to 2,053 square kilometres.
To avoid administrative problems in the newly merged municipalities and municipal corporations, GHMC temporarily treated these areas as separate circles and linked them to nearby zonal offices. Except for the Khairatabad zone, all other zones received new areas.
However, zonal commissioners have found it difficult to manage far-off suburban areas from existing zonal offices. For example, monitoring sanitation, streetlights, and road works in Pedda Amberpet circle from the LB Nagar zonal office has become challenging. Similar concerns were raised by several zonal commissioners and brought to the notice of the GHMC Commissioner.
Taking these issues into account, GHMC decided to increase the number of zones to 12 and circles to 60, with each zone handling an average of five circles.
Census and Future Plans
Officials said that once the national census begins, it will not be possible to carry out division reorganisation for the next one to two years. As the census is expected to start in January, the state government acted quickly to merge suburban local bodies into GHMC and complete division restructuring.
As a continuation of this process, the reorganisation of zones and circles will take place soon. This step is also seen as helpful for the government’s long-term plan to divide GHMC into three separate municipal corporations in the future.
Musi River as Boundary
According to officials, the government is considering forming one corporation for areas south of the Musi River, while areas to the north may be divided into Secunderabad and Cyberabad municipal corporations. It is likely that the corporation covering the Old City will continue to be called GHMC.
