Objections galore against new municipal divisions in Kothagudem Municipal Corporation

Officials issued a draft notification on June 5, proposing 60 wards comprising 1,34,019 voters, and invited written objections, complaints, and suggestions from the public by June 11.

Kothagudem: Objections are pouring in over the formation of new municipal divisions in the recently constituted Kothagudem Municipal Corporation.

The State government had announced the creation of the corporation by merging Kothagudem and Paloncha municipalities, along with Nayukulagudem, Lakshmidevipalli, Komatipalli, Nimmalagudem, Mangapet, Narsimhasagar, and Sujatha Nagar gram panchayats of Sujatha Nagar mandal.

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Paloncha Municipal Commissioner K Sujatha was given full additional charge as Commissioner of the new municipal corporation. Officials issued a draft notification on June 5, proposing 60 wards comprising 1,34,019 voters, and invited written objections, complaints, and suggestions from the public by June 11.

However, several political leaders and residents have alleged that despite the Telangana Municipalities (Amendment) Bill-2025 being passed on March 24 to facilitate the creation of the corporation, the process of demarcating the new wards was unduly delayed and later rushed through with several flaws. Only seven days were given for the submission of objections.

Paloncha town Congress president N Ranga Rao and others submitted a petition to Commissioner Sujatha seeking an extension of the deadline by another 10 days, but to no avail. By the deadline on June 11, as many as 49 objections and suggestions had been received.

Most objections pointed out what they described as the unscientific and arbitrary division of existing municipal wards in both Kothagudem and Paloncha municipalities, as well as in the merged gram panchayats.

Kothagudem town BJP president S Vidyasagar alleged that the division process was haphazard and demanded that officials address public concerns.

Opposition parties have alleged that the new ward boundaries were drawn to benefit the ruling party and the CPI, which holds the Kothagudem Assembly constituency. Even Congress leaders expressed dissatisfaction and brought the issue to the attention of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.

Former BRS councillor Vemula Prasad from the 27th ward claimed that his ward had been arbitrarily split, dispersing a large chunk of his voter base into another division. He alleged this was done to favour Congress leaders.