ADILABAD: The state government issued a GO announcing the conversion of Asifabad district headquarters from a gram panchayat into a municipality. The GO detailed the merger of Jhankapur and Godavelly gram panchayats, forming the new Asifabad municipality with 20 municipal wards. Additionally, it mentioned the appointment of the Kagaznagar municipal commissioner as the interim municipal commissioner for Asifabad.
In 2016, the erstwhile Adilabad district was divided into four districts: Adilabad, Nirmal, Kumrambheem Asifabad, and Mancherial districts. Since then, Asifabad stood as the sole district headquarter to operate as a gram panchayat.
The gram panchayat was predominantly tribal-dominated, and the realisation of its status as a municipality fulfilled the aspirations of the people.
Former chief minister of Telangana K Chandrashekhar Rao had initially announced that the gram panchayat would be converted into a municipality, however, it faced delays due to various reasons.
Subsequently, the Congress-led state government, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, released the Government Order dated February 2, appointing a commissioner tasked with overseeing the transition and compiling asset details of the gram panchayat.
It’s election stunt, says district BJP vice president
Meanwhile, BJP district vice-president Khandre Vishal stated that despite the formation of the district and its headquarters, there has been minimal development. He said while Asifabad has been declared a municipality, no funds have been allocated for its development. “Residents face challenges such as inadequate drinking water supply for 15 to 20 days each month, absence of proper roads near the crematorium. It is nothing but an election stunt,” he said.
Congress leaders welcomed the municipality’s establishment, recognising its potential to spur development in the region.