Mancherial district is an administrative district in the northern part of the Indian state of Telangana. It was carved out as a separate district on 11 October 2016, when the Government of Telangana reorganised the state's administrative map and increased the number of districts from ten to thirty-one. The district takes its name from its headquarters town, Mancherial, a long-established settlement on the banks of the Godavari river system in the former composite Adilabad district.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Telangana |
| Region | Northern Telangana |
| Headquarters | Mancherial |
| Formed | 11 October 2016 |
| Parent district | Adilabad district (composite) |
| Type | Revenue district |
Before 2016, the area now constituting Mancherial district formed the south-eastern portion of the undivided Adilabad district. The region has historically been associated with coal mining and heavy industry, owing to its location along the Pranhita–Godavari coal belt. Mancherial town itself developed as a trading and industrial centre, served by the Kazipet–Balharshah railway line on the New Delhi–Chennai trunk route.
The Telangana government's district reorganisation, notified in October 2016, was intended to bring administration closer to citizens by creating smaller, more manageable revenue units. Under this exercise, the composite Adilabad district was split into four new districts: Adilabad, Nirmal, Komaram Bheem (Asifabad), and Mancherial. Mancherial was constituted from mandals lying in the south-eastern part of the old district.
The district lies in the Godavari river basin and is bordered by Komaram Bheem Asifabad district to the north, the state of Maharashtra across the Pranhita and Godavari rivers to the east, Jayashankar Bhupalpally district to the south-east, Peddapalli district to the south, and Nirmal district to the west. The terrain is a mix of forested hills, agricultural plains and coal-bearing tracts. The Godavari and its tributary the Pranhita form natural boundaries on the eastern side.
The district is headed by a District Collector and Magistrate, supported by officers of the Indian Administrative Service and Telangana State Civil Service cadres. For revenue purposes, Mancherial district is divided into mandals grouped under revenue divisions, with Mancherial serving as the principal divisional and district headquarters. Law and order is administered by a Superintendent of Police.
The economy of Mancherial district rests substantially on coal mining, with operations of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) located within and around the district. Cement manufacturing, paper production and thermal power generation have historically had a presence in the wider region. Agriculture, particularly cotton, paddy and pulses, supports the rural economy, while the Kawal Tiger Reserve and adjoining forests in the broader region underline the area's ecological significance.
Mancherial is connected by the Kazipet–Balharshah section of the South Central Railway, with Mancherial railway station being a notable stop on long-distance services between northern and southern India. National Highway 63 (formerly NH 16), running between Nizamabad and Jagdalpur, passes through the district, providing road links to Hyderabad and other major cities.