Khammam is a municipal corporation now

KHAMMAM: The Khammam municipality has been upgraded as a corporation. Fourteen village panchayats, including Khanapuram Haveli, Gollagudem, Dwamsalapuram, Ballepalli, Kothagudem, Velugumatla, Gudimalla, Venkatagiri, Gurralapadu, Edulapuram, Peddathanda, Polepalli, Mallemadugu and Kaikondaigudem will be merged with the Khammam Municipal Corporation to make it big.The upgradation of the municipality has resulted in a real estate boom in the district headquarters town and surrounding villages. The upgradation process which began in 2003, has become a reality now. With the upgradation of the municipality, realtors have jacked up the prices of land and flats overnight. The price of land has increased to Rs 30 lakh from Rs 10 lakh per acre in the area as many people in coastal districts and state capital want to buy property in Khammam as it is growing at a rapid pace. Farmers of villages surrounding the district headquarters town are a happy lot with the upgradation of the municipality as their lands will fetch them good price. K Raghava Rao, a farmer of Kaikondaigudem, said there would be no agriculture lands in the area in near future as builders would take up construction of apartments to encash the boom.