Labourers oppose merger of seven GPs in Sujatha Nagar into Kothagudem Municipal Corporation

It may be noted that the State government had decided to create Kothagudem Municipal Corporation by merging the Kothagudem and Paloncha municipalities along with seven gram panchayats

Kothagudem: Agricultural labourers in seven gram panchayats in Sujatha Nagar mandal in the district are opposing the merger of the panchayats into the proposed Kothagudem Municipal Corporation.

It may be noted that the State government had decided to create Kothagudem Municipal Corporation by merging the Kothagudem and Paloncha municipalities along with seven gram panchayats from Sujatha Nagar mandal. The Telangana Municipalities (Amendment) Bill-2025 was passed in the Assembly on March 24 for the purpose.

Opposing the move, the labourers formed Sujatha Nagar Mandal Gram Panchayats Veelina Vyatireka Porata Committee. The committee leaders are of the opinion that merging the gram panchayats would affect the livelihood of the labourers as they have to part with work provided under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme as the GPs would become urban areas.

Speaking to Telangana Today, committee co-convener K Tirupathi Rao said there were over 3000 agricultural labourers in seven GPs and they depend on the 100-day work provided under NREGS. The workers have to lose 100-day work because of the corporation. In addition to that, the house taxes would be increased. It is unfair to merge seven gram panchayats- Nayukulagudem, Lakshmidevipalli, Komatipalli, Nimmalagudem, Mangapet, Narsimhasagar and Sujatha Nagar – of Sujathanagar mandal, which is a completely rural area into the corporation without holding any gram sabhas or all-party meetings, he said.

A gram panchayat should first be upgraded into a major panchayat and a major panchayat into a municipality. But the government at once made the GPs part of Kothagudem Municipal Corporation, Tirupathi Rao said.

The government should immediately withdraw the merger decision or the committee would knock on the doors of the Supreme Court if necessary. The struggle against GPs merger into the corporation would continue until the seven gram panchayats’ status quo is restored, he warned.