Hyderabad: The case of TRS local leader Kanna Yadhav assaulting a woman GHMC officer has again brought to the fore the ugly spats that take place between ‘shadow corporators’ — spouses of corporators from seats reserved for women and GHMC officers. Similar complaints have been reported from Kukatpally, Allapur and Erragada divisions, where the husbands of corporators demanded projects in their favour and attended GHMC circle meetings on behalf of their wives.
These cases have also been reported to municipal minister K.T. Rama Rao who in turn told the women corporators, “The public elected you and not your husbands. Spouses are strictly not allowed in official meetings or in any development works. Women corporators have to speak for themselves.”
“The maximum interference of corporators’ spouses is with GHMC engineering and town planning sections. The practice of husbands accompanying corporators to zonal review meetings is common, especially in circles like Uppal, LB Nagar, Kapra, Erragadda and most wards in the South Zone (Old City),” said a senior official of the GHMC.
“The spouse or even sons are found attending the zonal meetings. The zonal commissioner calls a meet every month with deputy commissioner and departmental heads to check on the status of the project being executed. The corporators are expected to be at the meeting. In wards that have elected women representatives the lead roles are taken by the husband”, he said.
This practice has been stopped in the West Zone (Serilingampally). Shadow corporators are also found attending the official inauguration of projects, though their names do not feature in the guest list. Most women corporators are always accompanied by their spouses for GHMC functions.
Many corporators have been found to support footpath encroachment, specially in Goshamahal (Circle 8), Musheerabad (Circle 9A), Amberpet (Circle 9B) and Khairatabad (Circle 0A). When a demolition drive was carried out, the corporators objected to the clearance of footpath encroachment as their local cadre was involved.
