Greater Hyderabad gets A-1 status--Laghe Raho Hyderabad

GREATER HYDERABAD: There is more good news for Central Government employees in the State capital.

With the Centre upgrading Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation as A-1 city from September, central employees are to get extra House Rent Allowance and City Compensatory Allowance (CCA).

Union Finance Ministry’s Department of Expenditure had issued the orders on Friday on the basis of the 2001 population census with the amalgamation of 12 municipalities with the MCH to form GHMC.

The orders will apply to all civilian employees of the Central Government and civilian employees paid from the Defence Services Estimates within GHMC limits. Separate orders will be issued by Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Railways for the Armed Forces personnel and Railway employees, respectively.

The Census of India classifies any urban area with more than 50 lakh population as ‘Mega Cities’ or A-1 cities. Hyderabad with 54 lakh now after GHMC came into being joins five other cities in the country having such a population with the others being:

1.Greater Mumbai – 1.63 crore,
2.Kolkata – 1.32 crore,
3.Delhi – 1.27 crore,
4.Chennai- 64 lakh
5.Bangalore – 57 lakh.

The erstwhile MCH area had a population of more than 36 lakh as per the 2001 census and with the inclusion of populations of ex-municipalities like L.B. Nagar (2.68 lakh approximately), Gaddiannaram (52,835), Uppal (1.17 lakh), Kapra (15.9 lakh), Alwal (93,206), Qutbullapur (2.31 lakh), Malkajgiri (1.93 lakh), Kukatpally (2.92 lakh), Serilingampally (1.53 lakh), Rajendranagar (1.43 lakh), Patancheru (40,273) and Ramachandrapuram (47,340), Hyderabad has reached the magic mark.