Congress Govt to restore Panchayat Raj system in Telangana: Uttam Kumar Reddy

Hyderabad: Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that Congress Government in Telangana is committed to reviving the former glory of the Panchayat Raj system in the state.

The minister made these remarks during a series of meetings after inaugurating Panchayat and Anganwadi buildings at Kalwapally, Donbanda, and Lali Thandas in the Mattampally mandal; Vepalamadhavaram village in Mellacheruvu mandal; and Repalle and Erragunta villages in Chintalapalem mandal in the Huzurnagar constituency on Sunday. He also laid the foundation stone for an Rs 80 lakh CC Road at Pulichintala Project Colony in Chintalapalem mandal.

Constitutional Rights

Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasized that, in line with the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments introduced by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Congress Government, as promised in the manifesto, will restore the three-tier system of local bodies. This will provide clear responsibilities and necessary funds.

BRS removed Panchayat Raj

Strongly condemning the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi regime for dismantling the entire PRI system in Telangana, he alleged that Gram Panchayats were deprived of funds, and Sarpanches were stripped of their powers. Under the guise of reforms, the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018 diverted the revenues of Gram Panchayats for other purposes. Many Sarpanches had to undertake developmental works using their own funds or borrowed money, resulting in unpaid bills amounting to over thousands of crore. As a consequence, hundreds of Sarpanches committed suicide due to various reasons, including debts.

Uttam Kumar Reddy lamented that the previous BRS Government did not allow Sarpanches to express their grievances through protests, leading to repeated humiliation and damage to their self-respect.

Debts of sarpanch

Hundreds of sarpanchs tendered their resignation in protest against the alleged diversion of the Central funds meant for Gram Panchayats by the previous BRS Govt. BRS Government owed each gram panchayat up to Rs 20 lakh.

The funds from central government were diverted.

"The diversion of funds pushed the Sarpanches into huge debts. Sarpanches had to raise funds on their own to pay salaries for sanitation staff in villages, to undertake development activities such as Haritha Haram, Prakruthi Vanam, road laying and maintenance, sanitation activities, etc., Almost all sarpanches in Telangana fell into a debt trap as they raised funds through private lenders and mortgaged their properties to undertake village development activities, " explained Uttam Kumar Reddy.

"When the Centre credited the Finance Commission grants directly into the bank accounts of gram panchayats, the BRS Government fraudulently diverted the amount into its accounts without their notice instead of clearing pending bills," he alleged.

In January 2019, 2,134 out of 12,732 Gram Panchayats unanimously elected their sarpanch, and the government's obligation for incentives totalled Rs. 213.40 crore.

Manifesto promise

As promised in the Congress manifesto, he said that the present government would waive penalties on property tax and house tax arrears in municipalities, corporations, and gram panchayats across the state. He said an annual grant of Rs 25 lakh to each Tanda and Gudem Gram Panchayats would also be given under Graminabhivrudhi Pathakam (SGGP).