Kothagudem: Tribal bodies, opposition parties oppose KUDA

It might be noted that municipal administration and urban development principal secretary M Dana Kishore has on October 15 issued a GO No: 177 constituting the urban development authority.

Kothagudem: The State government’s decision to create Kothagudem Urban Development Authority (KUDA) is triggering opposition from tribal organisations as well as political parties.

It might be noted that municipal administration and urban development principal secretary M Dana Kishore has on October 15 issued a GO No: 177 constituting the urban development authority.

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He stated that the authority could ensure a well planned development of urban and rural areas that fall under KUDA and to enhance road network, water supply, employment opportunities as well as satellite townships. Though the local MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao thanked Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for setting up KUDA for the development of Kothagudem and Paloncha municipalities along with rural areas, the leaders of Adivasi Sena and BSP are differing with him.

BSP state general secretary Yerra Kamesh stated that constituting KUDA is against agency laws and endangers the rights of tribals and those living in villages. The government decision would force the residents to bear the burden of higher taxes and the municipalities would lose their revenues. He further noted that the areas scheduled under the urban development authority are not well planned. Besides Kothaguedm and Paloncha municipalities, only one village, Sujatha Nagar has been included in the schedule and it defeats the very purpose of setting up the authority.

The schedule of as many as 13 new urban development authorities established by the government consists of over 100 villages. There are 325 villages under Stambhadri Urban Development Authority while a similar authority constituted in Suryapet consists of 264 villages, Kamesh said while appealing to the government to review its decision.

Speaking to Telangana Today Adivasi Sena vice president Sode Venkateshwarlu stated that KUDA is against the interests of tribal people and violates their rights. For over 15 years elections were not conducted for Paloncha Municipality, a scheduled area, as the Municipality Act is not extended to the municipality, he explained.

He said that after studying the legal aspects involved in constituting the urban development authority Adivasi Sena would challenge the government’s decision in the court of law.