ADILABAD: The Kolam families of Daheguda approached Collector Rajarshi Shah with a simple problem: they had houses sanctioned but nowhere to build them. After he helped 17 families secure land, they found an unusual way to say thank you, by naming their village after him.
The village, under Pippaldhari gram panchayat, had Indiramma houses sanctioned but no land to build them. The collector identified 17 government plots, issued pattas and cleared the way for construction. Three houses have since been completed and inaugurated.
But once the housing issue was taken up, the villagers had more to say.
They spoke about frequent power cuts, poor mobile connectivity and some residents who did not have Aadhaar cards. Shah asked officials to address the issues, including finding land for a mobile tower and helping those without Aadhaar obtain the cards.
He has been taking the same approach in other interior tribal villages.
At Mamadikhor, residents raised concerns about roads, farm ponds to improve groundwater levels and pensions for eligible families, which he took up with officials.
For the people of Daheguda, however, the biggest response came in the form of a name. Rajarshi Shah Guda is their way of marking the moment their problem was heard and acted upon.
And this is not the first time an Adilabad village has done something like this.
In 2020, residents of Guda village under Thantholi gram panchayat renamed their settlement Divyaguda after then Collector Divya Devarajan, after she responded to their concerns.
