Telangana to merge 27 urban local bodies with GHMC, approves underground power cables

Hyderabad, Nov 25 (PTI) The Telangana government on Tuesday decided to merge 27 urban local bodies near the Outer Ring Road with GHMC.

Briefing reporters after a state cabinet meeting, IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu said the GHMC Act and the Telangana Municipal Act would be amended to facilitate the merger of the urban local bodies with the corporation.

The cabinet also approved the establishment of an underground power cabling system in Hyderabad.

Officials, after studying the underground cable system in Bengaluru, estimated that setting up the network in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation would cost Rs 14,725 crore.

He added that wires from different cable networks would be laid underground, and consultations with the concerned companies would be held to implement the plan.

The cabinet further decided to set up a new power distribution company (DISCOM) in addition to the existing Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Ltd (NPDCL) and Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd (SPDCL).

Agriculture connections, lift irrigation schemes, water supply projects, and the Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board would be brought under the purview of the new DISCOM, Sridhar Babu said.

To promote renewable energy in line with centre norms, the cabinet decided to call tenders for the purchase of 3,000 MW of solar power and 2,000 MW of pumped storage power, a press release said.

It also approved granting permissions for pumped storage power plants with a production capacity of 10,000 MW.

Additionally, new industries in the state would be allowed to produce power for their own use, with approvals granted for captive power generation.

Existing industries would continue to receive power under the current system. PTI SJR SSK