Former sarpanches attempt to lay siege to Assembly over pending dues

Tension prevailed near the Assembly as former sarpanches staged a Chalo Assembly protest demanding the release of Rs 531 crore pending dues to gram panchayats. Police stopped the protesters, took several into custody and imposed preventive arrests

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed for a while near the Assembly precincts on Monday when former sarpanches attempted to lay siege to the Assembly, demanding that the government release pending dues payable to gram panchayats for works executed in the past.

Under the aegis of the Telangana Sarpanches Joint Action Committee, the former sarpanches had called for a “Chalo Assembly” protest programme.

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Despite repeated appeals, the State government has not released Rs 531 crore in dues payable to gram panchayats for various development works carried out earlier, committee president S Yadaiah Goud said.

Unable to bear financial stress and pressure from moneylenders, several sarpanches had faced severe difficulties, he said, adding that these issues were repeatedly brought to the notice of the State government but there was no relief.

As the former sarpanches gathered in large numbers and tried to lay siege to the Assembly, police thwarted their attempts. The protesters raised slogans against the government, following which police took them into custody and shifted them to Afzalgunj police station.

Earlier in the day, several former sarpanches were placed under house arrest and taken into preventive custody. Sarpanches Association president LN Reddy alleged that police arrived at his residence early in the day, took him into preventive custody and prevented him from proceeding towards the Assembly.