Harish Rao exhorts sarpanches to revive gram panchayats, assures support

Former Minister T Harish Rao criticised the Congress government for allegedly neglecting gram panchayats over the past two years, leaving them without funds and delaying elections.

Siddipet: Former Minister T Harish Rao said the newly elected sarpanches had the responsibility of reviving gram panchayats, which he alleged were completely ignored by the Congress government over the past two years.

Stating that the sarpanches were carrying a gigantic burden on their shoulders, Rao assured them of constant guidance to help them overcome the challenges, observing that there would be a solution to every issue.

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Addressing the newly elected sarpanches, vice-sarpanches and ward members of his constituency in Siddipet on Tuesday after felicitating them, Rao said they had a huge responsibility to set things right in the coming months as the administration had gone haywire.

Recalling how the BRS government under the leadership of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao used to release funds every month under Palle Pragathi to help sarpanches and panchayat secretaries carry out works, he alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had turned panchayats into garbage piles by denying funds and delaying elections.

Stating that there were no tractors in panchayats until the BRS came to power, Rao said the Chandrashekhar Rao government had gifted a tractor to every panchayat to carry out day-to-day activities.

The former minister said at least 50 panchayats in Siddipet constituency had won national awards due to the collective efforts of officials and elected representatives. However, he pointed out that after the Congress came to power, panchayats were left without funds even to purchase diesel for tractors.

He said delays in elections had led to Finance Commission grants being held up. The lack of funds and delay in conducting elections had pushed the burden of administration onto the shoulders of panchayat secretaries, he added.

Elaborating on the increase in the area under irrigation, Rao said there used to be hardly 8,000 acres of paddy cultivation during the Yasangi season in Siddipet before the completion of the Kaleshwaram project. The area under irrigation in the constituency had now increased to 80,000 acres, he said.

Accusing Revanth Reddy of resorting to false propaganda on the Kaleshwaram project, the former minister questioned how irrigation water was being released from Ranganayaka Sagar, Mallanna Sagar, Konda Pochamma Sagar and Ananthagiri Sagar if Kaleshwaram had completely collapsed. Rao also elaborated on the various development works undertaken in Siddipet during the last 10 years.