Gram Panchayat elections in Telangana to be held in three phases from December 11

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Election Commission on Tuesday announced the schedule for elections to Gram Panchayats. Polling for 12,728 panchayats will be held in three phases on December 11, 14 and 17. With the notification being issued, the Model Code of Conduct has come into immediate effect across the state.

In the first phase, voting will be held on December 11, with nominations opening on November 27. Under the second phase, polling will take place on December 14 and nominations will open on November 30. The third phase of polling is scheduled for December 17, State Election Commissioner I Rani Kumudini said.

An earlier notification to conduct elections to Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs) and Gram Panchayats was put on hold after the Telangana High Court issued an interim order staying a government order that provided 42 percent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies.

According to the earlier notifications, which were subsequently withdrawn by the SEC, polls to ZPTCs and MPTCs were to be held in two phases on October 23 and 27, while Gram Panchayat elections were to be conducted in three phases on October 31, November 4 and November 8.

The Congress government in Telangana had earlier issued Government Order (GO) No. 9, allotting 42 percent reservations for BCs in local body elections. The High Court later struck down this GO.

27 ULBs to be merged into GHMC

State cabinet that had met on Tuesday approved the merger of all municipalities and municipal corporations within the Hyderabad–Telangana Core Urban Area into the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). A total of 27 Urban Local Bodies in and around the Outer Ring Road will now be integrated into the GHMC.

To facilitate this, the government will bring in amendments to the GHMC Act and the Telangana Municipalities Act.

The cabinet also reviewed the state’s long-term power demand and supply projections. To meet renewable purchase obligations, the government will invite tenders for 3,000 MW of solar power under five-year supply contracts. It will also float tenders for 2,000 MW of pumped-storage power for a five-year period.

The state will permit companies to set up pumped-storage plants with a total capacity of up to 10,000 MW. The government will provide land and water, and the power generated must first be offered to Telangana DISCOMs under prior agreements.

To attract investments under the Clean & Green Energy Policy, new industries will be allowed to generate their own captive power without any capacity limits. Approvals will be granted immediately upon application, while existing industries will continue under the current power supply arrangements.