Adilabad: Residents of Utnoor Town are worried as elections have not been conducted by the state government for the Utnoor gram panchayat. The elections have been kept on hold as the issue to upgrade the town into a municipality is pending before the state government.
Utnoor is a major Agency gram panchayat. Over a period of time, large-scale migration of non-tribals to the area has seen Utnoor grow into a developed town.
Residents of the town are divided into two groups, with a section favouring to upgrade Utnoor into a municipality and others against it. The issue was brought to the notice of the state government and has been pending.
Bontha Asha Reddy whose term as sarpanch recently ended, had strongly opposed the move of converting Utnoor when he was sarpanch.
Mr Bontha had argued that the poor and Adivasis living in and around the town would be unable to afford the high municipality taxes.
In addition the NREGS scheme would also not be implemented. It is the political leaders, businessmen and leaders in the real estate business who are pushing to convert Utnoor into a municipality to protect their business interests.
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