Telangana releases draft CURE Bill for public consultation

Published 5 July 2026 · local

The Telangana government on Sunday, July 5, released the draft Telangana Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026, or the CURE Bill, for public consultation

The Telangana government on Sunday, July 5, released the draft Telangana Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026, or the CURE Bill, for public consultation, proposing a new governance framework for the Hyderabad metropolitan region by replacing the decades-old Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Act, 1955. The proposed legislation seeks to modernise urban governance in line with the city’s rapid expansion from a population of around 15 lakh to a metropolitan region of approximately 1.3 crore people. The Bill proposes the creation of a unified governance framework for the Core Urban Region (CURE), which will comprise the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC) and the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation (MMC).

While retaining most of the key provisions of the existing GHMC Act, including those relating to municipal corporations, standing committees, commissioners, ward committees, elections, property tax administration, borrowing powers and animal management, the draft Bill proposes the inclusion of a transgender member in municipal authorities and removes certain outdated election disqualification provisions. Among the major reforms proposed is a shift in the property tax assessment system from the existing Annual Rental Value method to a Capital Value-based method. The Bill also proposes the abolition of octroi and dog tax, introduction of self-assessment for property tax, an Integrated Property Identity Code and rebates for timely and sustainable tax payments. To improve ease of doing business and infrastructure development, the draft legislation proposes GIS-based street development plans, universal design standards, underground utility planning, deemed approvals for certain building permissions, decriminalised graded civil penalties and a simplified single trade licence for businesses.

It also introduces a framework for promoting a night-time economy. In the area of public health and sanitation, the Bill proposes granting public health emergency powers, streamlining nuisance redressal mechanisms, aligning sanitation provisions with the Manual Scavengers Act and vesting water supply and sewerage regulation with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB). The draft legislation also envisages the creation of several new institutions for integrated governance. These include a CURE Apex Governance Council chaired by the Chief Minister, an Executive Committee, HYDRAA for the protection of lakes, drains and public land, and dedicated authorities for disaster management, traffic management, climate action, heritage conservation, food safety, gender inclusion and labour welfare.