18 months on, Kothagudem Urban Development Authority still without chairman

The Kothagudem Urban Development Authority (KUDA), constituted in October 2024, remains defunct as the State government has yet to appoint a chairman. Despite chairpersons being named for other agencies, KUDA has been overlooked, sparking discontent among Congress and CPI leaders.

Kothagudem: Nearly 18 months have passed since Kothagudem Urban Development Authority (KUDA) was constituted, yet there are no signs of appointing a chairman for the body making it remain defunct.

It may be noted that the State government, on October 15, 2024, issued a GO No: 177 constituting KUDA bringing Kothagudem and Paloncha Municipalities along with Sujatha Nagar village, now part of Kothagudem Municipal Corporation, as the development area.

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Even as the State government nominated chairpersons for several other corporations/agencies during the past years, it seems to have forgotten even the existence of KUDA if the inordinate delay in making it functional is considered.

The government’s alleged inaction in nominating the chairperson for the KUDA is causing unrest among the leaders aspiring to get the post, besides defeating the very purpose for which the urban development authority was set up.

The government appointed former Khammam DCC president Puvvalla Durga Prasad as chairman of Stambhadri Urban Development Authority (SUDA), Khammam on May 6 and left out KUDA. This has upset candidates aspiring for the KUDA chairman post.

It is said that the government is facing difficulty in choosing a candidate for the post as the leaders of Congress and CPI, which had a poll alliance in Kothagudem, are in the race to get KUDA chairman post.

From CPI, the party district secretary Shaik Sabir Pasha is in the race and the local MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao is strongly lobbying for him.

From Congress the names of several leaders such as M Dharma Rao, Alla Murali, Vukanti Gopal Rao and others are doing rounds.

The CPI leadership claims that KUDA chairman post should be allotted to the party honouring the alliance. Congress leaders want the post to be given to any of the leaders of the party since the MLA and Kothagudem Municipal Corporation Mayor belong to CPI.

The Congress leaders in Kothagudem constituency are feeling left out from nominated positions despite belonging to the ruling party and this could affect their morale in the long run. Hence the KUDA chairman post should be allotted to any of the Congress leaders, they said.