Telangana government may amend Act to extend civic chiefs’ terms

HYDERABAD: Suspecting some municipal chairpersons and mayors may seek extension on completion of their three-year term, the Telangana government is proposing to amend the Telangana Municipalities Act 2019 to enhance the term to four years.
Elections to 127 municipalities of 141 were conducted in January 2020 and the civic bodies will complete three years in office in January 2023. As per the Municipalities Act, no-confidence motion cannot be moved against municipal chairpersons, deputy chairpersons, mayors and deputy mayors till completion of three years. In Greater Hyderabad and gram panchayats (for sarpanches and vice-sarpanches), the term is four years.
Sources said in the old Municipalities Act, the term for moving a no-confidence motion is a minimum four years of the total five-year term.
The state government reportedly proposed the amendment as chairmen and mayors’ three-year term is coming to an end in January 2023 and there was pressure on MLAs in some municipalities from TRS leaders to give them a chance to serve as chairpersons and mayors.
“The TRS doesn’t want to give any chance or scope for such demands now since the elections are nearing. If the minimum term is extended to four years, the aspirants cannot demand till January 2024,” a TRS leader said.
Apart from this amendment, the state government has decided to increase co-option members from five to 15 in the GHMC and five to 10 in other municipal corporations. The state cabinet has already approved for the amendments, official sources said.
The municipal administration department moved the amendment to the Municipalities Act, 2019, along with other amendments such as formation of Mulugu municipality. The new municipality is being created by merging Mulugu, Bandarupally and Jevantharaopally gram panchayats.
Meanwhile, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao also took a dig at the Centre on power sector growth.
He said the BJP government at the Centre had failed to utilise installed power available in the country. While the installed power capacity in the country is four lakh MW, the country recorded the highest peak power load of 2.1 lakh MW on June 22 this year, he said.