SRIKAKULAM: Proposals to upgrade the Grade-I municipality of Srikakulam into a corporation has been put on the back burner for now. Amidst speculations of merger of about 10 villages into Srikakulam municipality, the State Government issued GO no.49 a couple of days ago, cancelling its previous orders for the merger of villages for the formation of the Municipal Corporation and asked the authorities to allow the panchayats to function individually.
The initial proposal was to develop the municipality by getting funds from the Centre and upgrade it to a Corporation. A few months ago, oral proposals were made to merge all villages within 10-km radius of Srikakulam and upgrade it. Though it was not official, the ruling party of Amudalavalasa Municipal Council opposed it since it falls under the 10-km radius.
The then state government promulgated GO no.30 in February, 2012, merging Chapuram, Killipalem, Peddapadu, Khajipeta, Thotapalem, Patrunivalasa and Kusalapuram, all neighbourhood villages, into Srikakulam Municipality. But some panchayats opposed the merger and moved the court challenging the order. The contention of panchayats like Amudalavalasa was that development will cease if the merger happened. According to political analysts, there would be extra tax burden on the people since all the proposed places are villages.
Meanwhile, the court ruled in 2014 that elections to ZPTCs, MPTCs and sarpanchs can be conducted in the panchayats which moved the court against the merger. The elections to local bodies were not held at Peddapadu since it agreed to the merger later. The municipality extends civic services to Peddapadu even now.
Political parties believe that corporation status will not happen since politicos express firm faith in the dictum that the villages would develop only if the local bodies are strengthened. The ruling party leaders believe that they can reap political benefits if the grade one municipality is further developed.
Srikakulam municipal commissioner Bapiraju said that the government asked for proposals for corporation status and the civic body sent three. The government also promulgated GO no. 49 cancelling the earlier merger of villages. There was no further comuunication on that front, he added.