Hyderabad Redrawn: City Limits Expand, More Wards, Police Commissionerates

The landscape of the Hyderabad has been fundamentally redrawn, with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) expanding to triple its former size and the police system reorganising into four distinct commissionerates to secure a population that now exceeds 1.34 crore.

The historic merger and administrative restructuring officially concluded on Tuesday, transforming Hyderabad into a 'Mega City'.

The transformation began with the formal merger of 27 surrounding municipalities and urban local bodies into the GHMC. This move has expanded the city's civic jurisdiction from 650 square kilometers to a massive 2,053 square kilometers, placing Hyderabad among the largest municipal corporations in India.

To ensure the government remains accessible to its citizens, the administrative zones have been doubled from six to 12, while the number of municipal wards has increased from 150 to 300.

New zonal offices in Uppal, Quthbullapur, Malkajgiri, Shamshabad, Golconda and Rajendranagar are now fully operational.

According to officials, this decentralisation is key to managing a record Rs 11,460 crore budget proposed for financial year 2026-27, specifically aimed at bringing uniform infrastructure, such as drainage, waste management and road networks, to the newly merged peripheral areas.

In tandem with the civic expansion, the state has revamped its security apparatus. The traditional tri-commissionerate system has been replaced by four units - Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri (formerly Rachakonda) and the newly created Future City Commissionerate. 

This reorganisation is designed to provide specialised policing for the city's distinct hubs, ranging from the core heritage areas to the burgeoning IT and smart-city corridors.

The Hyderabad Commissionerate has significantly grown in importance, now overseeing the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad and the new High Court complex at Budvel. 

The Future City Commissionerate has been established to provide a dedicated security shield for the government's flagship "Future City" project, covering areas like Chevella, Moinabad and Maheshwaram.

The restructuring has triggered a series of high-level IPS transfers to lead these new jurisdictions. G Sudheer Babu has been appointed as the first-ever Commissioner of the Future City, while Avinash Mohanty takes charge of the reorganised Malkajgiri Commissionerate. Dr M Ramesh has been posted as the Commissioner of Cyberabad, and VC Sajjanar continues to lead the Hyderabad Commissionerate.

In a notable move toward rural policing efficiency, Yadadri-Bhongir has been removed from the commissionerate system to function as an independent district police unit under SP Akshansh Yadav. 

Government representatives say this "Mega City" transition is not just about size but about creating a global-standard urban environment ready for the next quarter-century of growth.