The Telangana Cabinet gave the green signal to conduct municipal elections in February, directing officials to complete all preparatory work at the earliest. The polls are due in 116 municipalities and seven municipal corporations whose terms have expired, marking a major step toward restoring elected local bodies across the State.With the reservation exercise completed based on the Dedicated Commission’s report, the Cabinet instructed the authorities to finalise the election schedule while ensuring that major festivals such as Ramzan and Maha Shivaratri do not disrupt the process. Briefing the media after the meeting chaired by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at Medaram, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Revenue and Information & Public Relations Minister, Government of Telangana, said it was the first time a State Cabinet meeting was held outside Hyderabad, in the forest region associated with the Sammakka–Saralamma shrine.The Cabinet also decided to organise the Godavari Pushkaralu, scheduled from July 27 to August 3, 2027, on a grand scale. It resolved to develop a spiritual and eco-tourism circuit along the Godavari catchment from Basara to Bhadrachalam, with a focus on temple development. A Cabinet sub-committee has been constituted to prepare a comprehensive action plan by March 31.“Reviewing the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, the Cabinet decided to expedite the takeover of Phase-I from L&T. It approved accelerated land acquisition for Phase-2A (four corridors) and Phase-2B (three corridors), subject to Central approval, and sanctioned ₹2,787 crore towards the estimated requirement,” Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Revenue and Information & Public Relations Minister, Government of Telangana, said.Among other infrastructure decisions, the Cabinet approved construction of a new 9-km road from the Integrated Command and Control Centre in Banjara Hills to Shilpa Layout to ease traffic congestion in Hyderabad. “The Cabinet sanctioned 24 new posts in the Law College of Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgonda, and a Pharmacy College with 28 posts,” Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Minister, Government of Telangana, said, adding that HAM roads worth ₹13,500 crore were also cleared.Thanking the Chief Minister for sanctioning a lift irrigation scheme for Mulugu district, Seethakka, Minister, Government of Telangana, said the Cabinet approved the Potlapur Lift Irrigation project to irrigate about 15,000 acres at an estimated cost of ₹143 crore.News source: The Hindu