KARIMNAGAR: Karimnagar Mayor Y Sunil Rao’s tour to the United States of America with his family has turned into a controversy, inviting criticism from various directions as he announced his unavailability from August 24 for two weeks. He reportedly asked people to contact him through phone or WhatsApp for any issues. After Rao’s one-month tour duration and flight tickets circulated on social media, the programme turned into a hot topic in the political circle. The tour schedule of the mayor contradicts his announcement as it states that he will return on September 24.
It is important to note that if the mayor is away from the headquarters for more than two weeks, The Municipal Act states that the responsibilities should be handed over to the deputy mayor.
Deputy Mayor Challa Swaroopa Rani expressed dismay and said that she was expecting the mayor to hand over the charges before he began his tour. On the other hand, the 44th division corporator and Congress leader Mendi Srilatha Chandrashekar complained to Collector Pamela Satpathy against the mayor and alleged that he had gone on tour without the state’s permission.
“The mayor neglected the Municipal Corporation rules. His first responsibility should be the people of the city, keeping in mind that seasonal diseases and viral fevers are rampant and drinking water issues are also there. However, he did not take the government’s permission and left the city,” she said, urging Sunil Rao’s suspension from the mayoral post. Srilatha requested the collector to hand over the responsibilities to a special officer.