BRS stages walkout over Rs 691 cr pending bills as Telangana Congress Govt faces backlash

In response to a question from BRS MLA T Harish Rao, state Panchayat Raj Minister D. Anasuya Seethakka stated that the amount owed to village Sarpanches (whose tenures have ended) up to November 1, 2024, exceeds Rs 691 crore. She assured that the bills would be cleared soon.

Hyderabad: The BRS staged a walkout from the Telangana Assembly on Monday after a heated exchange with the ruling Congress over the non-payment of pending bills for gram panchayats and posing challenges to sarpanches.

Former Minister T Harish Rao led the charge, lashing out at the Congress government for neglecting rural development and harassing sarpanches and MPTCs.

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During the Question Hour, Panchayat Raj Minister D Anasuya alias Seethakka admitted that about bills worth Rs 691 crore of former sarpanches were pending and that they would be cleared soon.

However, her failure to give clarity on reasons for keeping the bills pending even after nine months and non-release of funds to gram panchayats every month, as well as the failure to provide timeframe for clearing the bills, triggered a heated debate ensued between the treasury and the opposition benches.

Harish Rao who posed the question, demanded immediate payment of the pending bills for panchayat works, pointing out that big contractors were paid Rs.1,200 crore in November alone, while sarpanches struggled with unpaid dues.

He said funds under the State Finance Commission, 15th Finance Commission, and general grants were diverted. He also criticised the Congress government for discontinuing the BRS-led development initiatives like Palle Pragathi, which had earned Telangana’s gram panchayats 19 of 20 national awards from the Centre in a single year.

“The previous BRS government released Rs 275 crore every month to gram panchayats under Palle Pragathi. If the Congress administration continued it, all the pending bills would have been cleared long ago,” he remarked, stating that the Congress government was pushing the former sarpanches and MPTCs to the brink and created a situation where they would be forced to commit suicide due to the inordinate delay in release of funds.

Seethakka countered the allegations, stating that around Rs.740 crore was released so far, with more funds to follow despite financial constraints.

She admitted that around Rs.800 crore of Rs.1,100 crore under Mana Ooru-Mana Badi scheme were pending. She attributed delays to local body elections and pending central funds.

Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu defended the Congress government, blaming the arrears on the previous BRS administration and assuring payment of pending bills soon.

The session grew contentious as Harish Rao charged the Minister with evading direct answers. He announced the BRS walkout, demanding for an exact timeline to clear the pending bills.

BJP MLA K Venkat Ramana Reddy also criticised both governments for unpaid dues, urging an apolitical approach to release funds.