Telangana Assembly Passes CURE Bill to Overhaul Hyderabad Region Governance
Telangana Assembly passed the CURE Bill, 2026, replacing the 1955 GHMC Act to govern Hyderabad's 2,053 sq km core urban region with decentralised administration.
The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Saturday passed the Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026, by voice vote, clearing the way for a unified governance framework across Hyderabad and its fast-expanding periphery.
Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and the Communist Party of India raised reservations and apprehensions over certain provisions during the sitting, even as the legislation was adopted.
Introducing the Bill on behalf of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Minister for Legislative Affairs D. Sridhar Babu said the city's growth demanded uniform rules, standardised practices and decentralised administration for more effective governance. He framed the measure as central to Telangana's ambitions of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2034 and a $3 trillion economy by 2047, with Hyderabad and its surroundings expected to play a decisive role.
Noting that the services sector contributes 68 per cent of the state's gross state domestic product, the Minister said the region needed to be redeveloped into a larger core economic growth engine. The CURE area, defined within the Outer Ring Road limits, spans 2,053 sq km and takes in municipalities and nagar panchayats along with the GHMC area. A LiDAR survey was carried out to prepare 3D mapping of roads, buildings, utilities, nalas and drainage and stormwater systems, with an eye on requirements over the next two to three decades.
The state's GSDP rose 10.7 per cent from ₹16.09 lakh crore in 2024-25 to ₹17.82 lakh crore in 2025-26, with the bulk of the contribution coming from the CURE area covering Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts.
On mobility, the government has drawn up a comprehensive plan to add 122.9 km of Metro Rail across seven corridors in the second phase, taking the network to 258.3 km by 2030 and 556.6 km by 2035. The H-City infrastructure project, worth ₹7,032 crore, will build additional flyovers and underpasses, while ₹7,345 crore has been earmarked for the Musi River Front Development Project. The formation of HYDRAA has enabled the recovery of 3,325 acres valued at ₹1.5 lakh crore, along with the restoration of six tanks and work on 14 more. A further ₹7,360 crore is planned to bring 20 tmc ft of Godavari water under Phases 2 and 3.
The Minister said the CURE Act replaces the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act of 1955, framed when the city's population was about 15 lakh and now close to 1.3 crore. The GHMC has been reorganised into the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation and Cyberabad Municipal Corporation to enable decentralised administration with a sharper focus on civic infrastructure and amenities.
The new law comprises 319 sections, nine schedules, five parts and 43 chapters, dropping redundant provisions and adding those required for the region's current needs. Congress members Danam Nagender, Sriganesh, N. Padmavathi Reddy, V. Naveen Yadav and Malreddy Ranga Reddy spoke in support of the Bill.