Harish Rao urges CM Revanth Reddy to release Panchayat funds

The initiatives included garbage and sewer cleaning, environmental cleanliness, avenue plantations, construction of markets, and crematoriums.

Hyderabad: Former Minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao issued an open letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, demanding immediate release of funds to local bodies and resolve pressing issues affecting local governance and sanitation.

In his letter, Harish Rao highlighted the initiatives of former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, aimed at achieving rural and urban development. These initiatives included garbage and sewer cleaning, environmental cleanliness, avenue plantations, construction of markets, and crematoriums. However, he felt that these programmes have been neglected by the Congress government over the past seven months.

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“Due to the negligence of the Congress government, sanitation in villages and towns has become stagnant,” the former Minister Rao stated, adding that the gram panchayats were suffering due to lack of funds. Villages are turning into garbage pits, as the local bodies are unable to meet even basic expenses like diesel for tractors to clear the garbage.

Harish Rao pointed out that the gram panchayat employees and workers, who are essential for managing sanitation and other duties, have not received their salaries. He noted that street lights are not maintained, drinking water supply is compromised, and no efforts are made for fogging or providing bleaching powder, resulting in a surge in seasonal diseases. He criticised the Congress government for failing to continue the sanitation drives and development programmes initiated by the BRS government.

Further, he also demanded the State government to release of pending bills to Sarpanchs for the works completed. He wanted the government to organise special drives in villages and towns to prevent the spread of seasonal diseases and improve sanitation.