Telangana: Tribal Hamlet Divided by Two GPS, Faces Admin Issues

Nalgonda: Residents of Toorpu thanda, a tribal hamlet in Marriguda mandal, have long struggled with an unusual administrative issue — half the village falls under Kondur gram panchayat, while the other half belongs to Marriguda. This division has led to persistent difficulties in accessing government services and welfare schemes.

“When I stand in front of my house, my agricultural fields are visible in the distance. My house falls under one gram panchayat and my fields under another. I am forced to approach different gram panchayats for different needs,” lamented Jaruvula Chandru, a resident of the village.

Toorpu thanda is located 2.5 km from Marriguda and 1 km from Kondur. Of the 80 houses in the hamlet, 40 fall under Kondur gram panchayat, while the other 40 come under Marriguda. An internal road serves as the geographical boundary dividing the two jurisdictions.

The state government’s decision to select welfare scheme beneficiaries through gram sabhas held at respective gram panchayats has added to the villagers’ woes. Several tribal residents own houses in Kondur’s jurisdiction but have farmland in Marriguda, and vice versa. This has led to confusion regarding eligibility for schemes like Rythu Bandhu.

Chandru, a farmer, said he is caught in a dilemma over which gram sabha to attend to verify his eligibility for welfare schemes. “I don’t know why my Rythu Bandhu payment hasn’t been credited for my two acres of land in the last two crop seasons. My house is in Kondur’s jurisdiction, but my farmland falls under Marriguda,” he explained.

Education-related issues also plague the hamlet. The local government primary school and Anganwadi centre are located in Kondur’s jurisdiction. However, many students face difficulties obtaining local area certificates due to discrepancies in their official documents. “Our school certificates state we studied in Kondur, but our Aadhaar and ration cards show our address as Marriguda,” said a resident.

The village’s peculiar status also affects local elections. “Our hamlet is divided when voting for the gram panchayat elections. We have two sarpanches. Despite repeated appeals to elected representatives and officials to declare Toorpu Thanda a separate gram panchayat, nothing has changed,” lamented another villager Ramavath Kumar.

District panchayat officer N. Murali acknowledged the issue, stating that the houses in Toorpu thanda may have gradually extended into Marriguda’s jurisdiction over the years. “There is a need to examine the reasons behind this situation. However, Toorpu Thanda does not meet the population criteria to become a separate gram panchayat. We will assess the matter and explore possible solutions,” he assured.