ADILABAD: The state government is planning to convert the major Grampanchayat (GP) Utnoor into a municipality by merging nearby Grampanchayats into it keeping the growing population of Utnoor.
The population of Adivasis will further dwindle, if the Utnoor major Grampanchayat will be converted into a Municipality. Mandamarri was established as a municipality long ago, but no elections were conducted because a case was pending in the court till recently.
A special officer was looking after its activities. A petition was lodged in the High Court that the place came under the Agency area. Just recently, the court asked the officials concerned to conduct elections in Mandamarri.
This is an indication that the population of tribal areas are growing with the unabated migration of non -tribals from bordering states and districts and other areas within the districts.
The Utnoor area which is a major Grampanchayat is still considered as the centre of the Agency area in the old Adilabad district.
The state government has already promised to convert the adivasi ‘Gudems’ and ‘Lambada Thandas’ into GPs in the state.
According to reliable sources, the state government is planning to convert the major Grampanchayat Utnoor into a Municipality, bringing the other grampanchayats Lakkaram, Shympur, Danthanpalli, Hasnapur and Nagapur under the Municipality.
It is said that the conversion of the Grampanchayat Utnoor into a Municipality will be completed by April, 2018.
Already, the state government announced that the nearby grampanchayats are being merged into existing municipalities to create an urban or major municipalities in the state.
The sources said the state Governor who is the head of the Tribal Agency areas under the 5th Schedule and Project Officer of the ITDA of the area took a decision on the conversion of the grampanchayat into the municipality and their permission was required for the purpose.
It may be recalled here that tribal areas such as Jainoor, Kerameri, Indravelli,
Narnoor, Gudihathnoor, Ichoda and Neredigoda have turned into towns with the unabated migration of non-tribals over the last 40 years. Now, the non-tribal migration is creating more tribal mandals in the new districts. These new mandals such as Gadiguda, Sirikonda and Bheempur created in the Agency areas are attracting more non-tribal migration into the Adilabad district.
Non-tribals and developed Lambadas are migrating to newly created Bheempur, Gadiguda and Sirikonda mandals in the tribal areas from their existing places in the Adilabad district.
Other new mandals created in tribal areas are Penchikalpet, Chinthanamanepalli and Lingapur in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district, Hajipur mandal in Mancherial district and Pembi in Nirmal district. A total of 18 new mandals have been created in four districts, as part of the creation of new districts, in addition to the existing 52 mandals.
