Sarpanches enjoy freedom now: CM KCR to Congress

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao put the Congress on the mat on Friday when he demolished the opposition party’s allegations that sarpanches in the State were facing hardships. “Unlike the Congress regime in undivided Andhra Pradesh when the powers of sarpanches were curtailed, the TRS government has given them a free hand and as […]

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao put the Congress on the mat on Friday when he demolished the opposition party’s allegations that sarpanches in the State were facing hardships. “Unlike the Congress regime in undivided Andhra Pradesh when the powers of sarpanches were curtailed, the TRS government has given them a free hand and as a result, villages are witnessing rapid development,” the Chief Minister said.

Intervening during Question Hour in the State Assembly here, the Chief Minister slammed the Congress legislators for their allegations about sarpanches facing hardships due to delay in clearing pending bills. He asserted that all bills till September 24 this year were cleared and there was no pendency. “Apart from funds generated by the panchayats through tax collection, the State government releases sufficient funds to panchayats every month without any delay,” he said.

“This was not the case during the Congress regime. Sarpanches used to struggle to pay power bills or even borewell motor repair charges. The Congress left behind arrears of Rs 2,000 crore in power bills, he said, adding that during the Congress regime, there was a parallel administration that accorded more powers to MPOs and DPOs. There were anomalies in many panchayats as the administrative expenditure exceeded the permissible limits, he explained.

Considering all these factors, the State government introduced the Panchayat Raj Act to ensure comprehensive development of villages, he said, adding: “After State formation, sarpanches have been given freedom. No other State can match Telangana in ensuring comprehensive development of villages.”

He also wanted the opposition parties to check their facts before levelling allegations against the State government. “During the Congress regime, the per capita expenditure on an individual was Rs four but now under the TRS government, it is about Rs 650. That is the difference between Congress and TRS,” Chandrashekhar Rao said.

Coming down heavily on the language used by Congress legislators in the House, the Chief Minister said: “No one is trying to suppress your voice and you are at liberty to speak, but be civil. We will also maintain decorum. People are observing the proceedings,” he said.

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