T Harish Rao, a senior BRS leader, criticized the government for not releasing funds to gram panchayats, claiming that it has paralyzed the Panchayat Raj system in the state. He demanded the immediate release of pending funds which have been delayed for seven months.
Speaking at a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Rao highlighted that due to the government’s neglect, panchayat secretaries were forced to pay from their own pockets, leading to them being in debt. He mentioned former CM KCR’s initiatives like ‘Palle Pragathi’ and ‘Pattana Pragathi’ for sanitation drives, criticizing the current Congress government for not releasing any funds to gram panchayats.
Rao emphasized that under KCR’s rule, Telangana villages were considered a model for the country and received awards at the Centre. He expressed concern over the delay in holding elections for GPs despite their term ending, and raised issues regarding non-payment of salaries to retiring MPTCs and ZPTCs for seven months.
Furthermore, Rao called for an inquiry into the suicide of a farmer named Prabhakar, holding the government responsible and demanding action against officials who were negligent. He also urged for Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia to be provided to Prabhakar’s family. Additionally, he addressed the correspondence between AP CM and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, stressing on the importance of discussing seven mandals and the Lower Sileru power project in their meeting. Rao also highlighted the lack of parking space for devotees visiting Bhadrachalam temple and urged the CM to address this issue with his AP counterpart.
