CURE Bill could be better, says NGO
The entire Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026 has the words ‘Consultation’ appearing seven times, ‘Participation’ five times, and ‘Accountability’ only once. In contrast
The entire Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026 has the words ‘Consultation’ appearing seven times, ‘Participation’ five times, and ‘Accountability’ only once. In contrast, the word ‘Government’ appears 475 times and ‘Commissioner’ 780 times. The word ‘Public’ appears 290 times, but only as passive recipient, not as active participant, says Janaagraha, a voluntary organisation’s presentation, putting the 271-page Bill in a nutshell. Addressing a press meet on Tuesday, representatives of the organisation, Anita Kumar, V.R. Vachana and Srikara Prasad, who were members of the study team, explained how they ranked the CURE Bill in comparison with its predecessor Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955, and the recently promulgated Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024.
They scored all the three, based on city planning, power to elected representatives, transparency and accountability, citizens’ participation and the ability of the institutions to deliver. The CURE Bill scored five per cent over the age old GHMC Act, but 10% less than the latest GBG Act, which leaves ample scope for improvement, they said. While crediting Hyderabad as only the second city after Bengaluru to have a legislation for metropolitan governance, the team led by Anita Kumar flagged lack of clarity on the roles of the new authorities and institutions, absence of coordinating bodies, and insufficient provisions for public participation as major drawbacks.
Instead of legislating on key urban reforms required for a futuristic city, the Bill leaves it to the government to form the rules. In its recommendations, the Janaagraha stressed the need for planning the metropolitan region as a whole, defining respective roles of the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC), HMDA and the CM-led Apex Governance Council. The Apex Council should also include adequate elected local government representation so that metropolitan coordination and implementation remain democratically anchored. Over 15 authorities, committees and cells created by the Bill need enunciation of their job, powers, funds and the staffing, so that responsibilities can be clearly defined.
The Bill should strengthen the role of mayors and councils, open up meaningful ways for citizens to participate, and set up independent checks that hold the system accountable. Key reforms should be made compulsory, with deadlines.
The BriefWire