KARIMNAGAR, JANUARY 18, 2025: The Telangana state government has merged adjoining six villages including Kothapalli Municipality with the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar (MCK) by increasing divisions from the existing 60 to 66 in the Corporation.
Despite opposition from the MCK for the merger of adjoining villages, the government had issued a gazette announcing the merger of adjoining villages viz Kothapalli Municipality, Malkapur-Laxmipur, Chintakunta, Bommakal, Durshed and Gopalpur grama panchayats.
Since the upgradation of Karimnagar Municipality into a Corporation in 2005, in spite of opposition from the villagers the State government took the decision to merge the villages with MCK in order to develop the town. As majority of villages were agriculture based, the villagers stated that with the merger the taxes would increase, employment to farm workers under NREGS will be denied and there will be no developmental works concerning the villages. The local bodies’ representatives such as sarpanches, ward members, MPTC members and ZPTC members were also opposing the merger of villages as they would be losing their power.
Still, there is criticism for not merging the adjoining Nagunuru village when the government had already merged the adjoining Theegalaguttapalli village with MCK. The villagers of Gopalpur are up in arms against the merger of village with MCK. The Gopalpur village is known for cultivation of vegetables in the district.
