Locals demand conversion of Manuguru Municipality into gram panchayat

Locals and social activists have renewed their demand to convert Manuguru Municipality into a gram panchayat, citing pending elections, development concerns and the impact on employment guarantee schemes in merged villages, with the issue now raised before the State SC and ST Commission.

Kothagudem: The demand to convert Manuguru Municipality into a gram panchayat has come to the fore again with social activists taking the matter to the notice of Telangana State SC and ST Commission.

It might be recalled that the Manuguru gram panchayat, covered under Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation Act 1 of 1970 (1/70 Act), was constituted as 3rd Grade Municipality through a GO Ms. number 561 dated May 31, 2005.

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The town is spread over an area of 24.86 square kilometres and is divided into 23 wards with the merger of 13 surrounding villages into the municipality. Ever since the municipality was created, organisations such as Adivasi Hakkula Parirakshana Samithi and adivasi activists have opposed the move.

They moved the High Court arguing that Manuguru is a notified Agency (Scheduled) area falling under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution and the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act. Its conversion into a municipality would violate their rights.

Recently, a MRPS leader from Manuguru, Kommu Hussain Madiga, submitted a petition to the State SC and ST Commission chairman Bakki Venkataiah urging him to take steps to convert Manuguru Municipality into a gram panchayat to resolve the problems of the poor tribals.

Though the municipality was created in 2005, not a single election, neither the panchayat elections nor the municipality elections, has been held so far due to pending court cases. Without an elected body, the administration came to a standstill and special officers controlled the affairs.

The authorities are only focused on collecting taxes. The livelihood of people living in the merged villages is affected as the employment guarantee scheme is not implemented in their villages as they fall under the municipal area, he complained.

CPI leader Sudhakar also submitted a memorandum to MLA Payam Venkateswarlu requesting to convert Manuguru municipality into a gram panchayat and to conduct elections. As there has been no governing body, the development has stalled, he noted.