Harish Rao demands for urgent action to protect rural administration

Former Minister T Harish Rao has accused the Congress government of ignoring rural development in Telangana. In a letter to Minister Seethakka, he highlighted unpaid dues, collapsing sanitation services, and urged immediate corrective measures ahead of the local body elections.

Hyderabad: Former Minister and Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao raised alarm on the deteriorating conditions of rural administration across Telangana under the Congress rule. He shot a missive to Panchayat Raj Minister D Anasuya alias Seethakka, stating that due to non-release of funds and government negligence, rural development took a backseat in the State.

The senior BRS MLA recalled that under the BRS government, 9,350 junior Panchayat Secretaries were appointed in 2019, and Telangana‘s villages emerged as national models in cleanliness and infrastructure due to timely fund allocation.

---

However, since the change in government, sanitation had declined, streetlights lay defunct, and gram panchayats were unable to operate even basic services, with diesel and RTA taxes for tractors unpaid.

Harish Rao said panchayat secretaries and former sarpanches were reeling under financial pressure, having taken loans to keep services running. He demanded immediate release of pending payments, including dues to sanitation workers and data entry operators from last year’s household survey.

The former Minister also urged the government to fulfill its “Abhaya Hastam” promise by regularising outsourced Panchayat Secretaries and launching special sanitation drives during the monsoon season. With local body elections expected soon, he warned that the government’s negligence towards rural development could worsen the conditions.