The move, according to the several people who are opposing it, is expected to cast an impact on the cost of living with increased tax impositions
Published Date – 30 October 2024, 09:30 PM
The move, according to the several people who are opposing it, is expected to cast an impact on the cost of living with increased tax impositions
Hyderabad: Life in many of Telangana existing gram panchayat areas and hitherto ‘rural’ areas is all set to become more expensive, with the State government recently issuing orders to establish 20 new Urban Development Authority (UDAs) and to expand the jurisdiction of six existing UDAs across the State. The move, according to the several people who are opposing it, is expected to cast an impact on the cost of living with increased tax impositions.
Already, people, especially tribals in different districts, are up in arms against the State government’s moves. Raising slogans, many are even staging protests and demanding the government to reconsider its decision. The decision to establish the Kothagudem Urban Development Authority (KUDA) is one such move that has triggered unrest among the tribal people, besides evoking strong political opposition.
BSP State General Secretary Yerra Kamesh said the constitution of KUDA was against agency laws and endangers the rights of tribals and those living in villages. This would result in higher taxes and the municipalities would lose their revenues, he said. Adivasi Sena vice president Sode Venkateshwarlu also said KUDA was against the interests of the tribal people and violates their rights.
Similarly, the establishment of the Mancherial Urban Development Authority (MUDA) trigged concerns among the villagers. Fearing that officials would now start ignoring them, people questioned the need to merge rural parts with urban local bodies as they feel rural civic bodies would not get the same attention or importance as the urban bodies.
Residents from both municipalities and rural parts fear that taxes and other charges, including for house and building permissions would increase considerably after their area becomes part of an UDA.
In the Patancheru assembly constituency, in fact, if the proposed changes come into effect, with many villages to be merged with nearby municipalities, there won’t be any gram panchayats left in the constituency any more.
What the Sarpanches Association has to sayThe Telangana Sarpanches Sangham is vehemently opposing the government’s orders to establish new UDAs without considering the consequences or without taking the affected people into confidence. Sangham president G Lakshmi Narasimha Reddy said the move to establish UDAs would adversely impact rural life. The cost of living would increase drastically and so would the taxes imposed by the government. There would be a lot of difference between the house tax collected by a gram panchayat and a UDA, he stressed.
Setting aside the tax component, the move would be counterproductive for villagers. They would have to run from pillar to post to get things done in their village. For instance, if a village plans to lay a new road or set up a streetlight or any other facility, it generally passes a resolution in the panchayat. Based on the availability of funds, the works would be executed. However, if the village was merged with a UDA, it would have to rely on the mercy of the officials to get basic amenities. In a UDA, there would be many other villages and the officials would have to consider the appeals of different villagers to approve any infrastructure works or any other works, he explained. Urban development was definitely required but before that the government should focus on provision of basic amenities. Development of public health, primary health centres and schools should be priority, Lakshmi Narasimha Reddy said adding that many panchayats were still struggling to arrange bleaching power and brooms to ensure sanitation in the villages after funds from the State dried up in recent months.
This apart, commercial establishments would also feel the heat. In a village, if a person plans to set up a small provisional store, he would have seek a trade licence by paying a hefty fee.
What the State government says
The Collectors of different districts had submitted proposals to the Municipal Administration and Urban Development department. Each Collector had come up with different reasons stressing on the need to establish UDAs. Accordingly, the Mancherial district administration said Mancherial Town was well connected with Hyderabad, Ramagundam, Peddapalli, Karimnagar and Siddipet. The surrounding districts and villages were interdependent on Mancherial Town for trade and commerce, education and medical facilities.It also has a large number of Coal mines (SCCL), Thermal Power station, rice mills and grain production etc. Considering all these factors, there was a need for Mancherial town and its surrounding villages to be developed into an Urban Development Authority for the purpose of better planning, co-ordination, supervising promoting and securing the planned development of the region.
Further, Mancherial is immediately surrounded by villages and municipalities with high growth potential in trade, commerce and education sectors. This in turn would spur real estate growth in the region. There are six municipalities and 355 villages in the close proximity of Mancherial Town, which are likely to act as the influence areas for the town, the district administration had stressed in its recommendations to the MAUD department.
Advantages of Urban Development Authority
The government claims that establishing a UDA will aid in developing Master Plans with road networks and land uses for the expanded areas, besides balanced development of infrastructure. This apart, there would be better integration and better access to institutional funding for high level of infrastructure. Coordination with other public agencies concerned with provisions for urban infrastructure services and amenities would improve, officials claimed, adding it would also help in regulating illegal developments through statutory plans and other measures.
New UDAs: – Adilabad, Jogulamba Gadwal, Kaghaznagar, Kamareddy, Kothagudem, Mahabubabad, Mancherial, Nagarkurnool, Nirmal, Suryapet, Vikarabad, Wanaparthy, Jangaon, Narayanpet, Jagtial, Medak, Yadadri Bhongir, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Sangareddy and Nalgonda
Existing UDAs being expanded
– Mahabubnagar, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Siddipet, Vemulawada and Khammam
