Warangal:Leaders of the Padmashali community have accused Warangal mayor Gundu Sudharani of taking control of two acres of government land worth several crores, sanctioned for a community hall at Chinthagattu in Hanamkonda district. They alleged that the mayor insulted and sidelined genuine community leaders and appointed an unauthorised committee of her relatives to manage the land, which was allotted for the entire Padmashali community.
According to them, the government issued Memo No. 8730/LA/A2.2020-2 in February 2021, allocating two acres for the construction of a Padmashali Community Hall. They claimed that the mayor, with the intention of taking over the land, registered a new society named ‘District Padmashali Sangham’ on February 18, 2021 (No. 112/2021), appointing her husband, Gundu Prabhakar, as president.
The society, they said, was formed without consulting the Padmashali Association or holding any general body meetings in Warangal or Hanamkonda. The mayor allegedly used her official position to pressure irrigation department officials, leading to the land being handed over to her husband on July 14, 2021.
The executive committee of the new society reportedly has only seven members—all relatives of the mayor—while prominent leaders from the established Padmashali, Youth and POPA (Padmashali Officials & Professionals Associations) were excluded. None of the members belong to Chinthagattu village or Hasanaparthy mandal, where the land is located, the leaders said.
Gundeti Narendar, honorary president of the Padmashali Sangham Warangal district unit, told Deccan Chronicle that the community is hurt that mayor Sudharani, who rose to prominence with community support, is now ignoring its genuine representatives.
He alleged that the mayor and her husband are treating the land as their personal property and questioned the validity of the 112/2021 registration, which came after the government’s allotment. State-level Padmashali leaders have also objected to the control exerted by the Mayor’s family. They said Sudharani and her husband had promised to include senior leaders in the committee, but failed to do so.
They added that registering the society with only seven members, when there was space for more, shows intent to grab the land and deny the wider community its due. They urged the government to intervene and restore the land to the original Padmashali body. They urged the government to intervene and allocate the land to the original Padmashali community to benefit the people.
