Bhadrachalam residents oppose dividing the temple town, want GO 45 withdrawn

Opposition to Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department’s move of creating five new gram panchayats out of Bhadrachalam has been growing loud

Kothagudem: Opposition to Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department’s move of creating five new gram panchayats out of Bhadrachalam and Sarapaka revenue villages in the district has been growing loud.

It might be noted that on Dec 16, the department issued the GO 45 creating Bhadrachalam, Seetharam Nagar and Shanthi Nagar gram panchayat (GPs) dividing Bhadrachalam major gram panchayat and Sarapaka and ITC GPs out of Sarapaka revenue village.

A day-long bandh was called Dec 19 by the Left and other opposition parties in Bhadrachalam opposing the division of Bhadrachalam GP. Creating a GP with the name of ITC Company was also opposed by Sarapaka residents.

Bhadrachalam MLA Podem Veeraiah on Thursday held a meeting with intellectuals, businessmen, traders and elders in the society to discuss the issue. Several speakers wanted the government to continue Bhadrachalam as a major gram panchayat to protect its identity.

Bhadrachalam has a great history and holds great religious importance in the country because of the Bhadradri Temple. It was a bad idea to divide the temple town into three panchayats. The GO 45 has to be withdrawn, the speakers demanded.

MLA Veeraiah suggested chalking out an action to fight against the move to divide Bhadrachalam by involving the residents, traders, businessmen and people’s organisations. It was sad the government had not taken the opinion of locals before issuing the GO, he said.

Bullion Merchants Association president I Prabhakar, Green Bhadradri president Krishna Dr. SL Kantha Rao, Charugulla Srinivas, Kuricheti Srinivas, Chenchu Subba Rao, Golla Bhupati Rao and others opined that creating smaller GPs would affect Bhadrachalam development.