Hyderabad: The Telangana govt is drafting a comprehensive Core Urban Region (CURE) Act to streamline governance within the Outer Ring Road (ORR), aiming to bring uniformity in property tax, advertisement and parking policies, and building rules.The proposed legislation will integrate the functions of the newly formed Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), Musi River Development Corporation, and Hyderabad Road Development Corporation under a single legal framework. If cleared, the govt plans to introduce the Bill in the upcoming Assembly session.Chief minister A Revanth Reddy recently directed officials to come up with the CURE Act to address governance gaps that have emerged following the trifurcation of Hyderabad’s civic administration. At present, the city is governed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Act, 2007. However, with the creation of Cyberabad and Malkajgiri municipal corporations by merging 27 surrounding municipalities and gram panchayats within the ORR, multiple civic laws are now in force.Officials said different Acts govern municipal corporations and municipalities, leading to variations in revenue collection, advertisement policies, parking norms, and building regulations. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (HMWS&SB) jurisdiction, for instance, remains limited to GHMC areas. The proposed CURE Act seeks to harmonise these differences and extend its applicability to all civic and enforcement agencies, including police commissionerates, within the core urban region.A senior municipal administration official said HYDRAA’s jurisdiction extends up to the ORR for disaster management and protection of govt lands and lakes, but lacks a dedicated legal framework. “The new Act will clearly define HYDRAA’s roles and responsibilities,” the official said. The govt is reportedly consulting NALSAR University of Law and key departments, including GHMC, the water board, Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL), Hyderabad Road Development Corporation, and traffic police, to draft the legislation. The Act may also transfer certain roads currently maintained by the roads and buildings department to municipal corporations, excluding national highways.A coordination body is also proposed under the CURE Act to address long-standing inter-departmental gaps among civic agencies.
