Hyderabad: Ex-sarpanches detained for demanding clearance of pending bills, BRS condemns arrests
Hyderabad: Former sarpanches were detained by the police for staging a protest over pending bills. A group of former sarpanches, who had gathered at a hotel in the city, were stopped and arrested by the police while they were heading towards Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s residence in Jubilee Hills. The former sarpanches were put into the police vehicles and shifted to the police station.
The ex-sarpanches started their march from Peddamma temple, carrying banners and posters. However, the police did not allow them to meet the chief minister and submit a memorandum. The police officials said an assembly of five or more persons is not allowed due to the enforcement of prohibitory orders in Hyderabad.
The Sarpanches Joint Action Committee has been demanding the government clear the long-pending bills amounting to Rs. 1,500 crore. The former sarpanches said they carried out the development works, including building graveyards, playgrounds, and dumping yards, with borrowed money, and the administration has not cleared their pending bills since 2019.
“The Sarpanches are being prevented from approaching the Chief Minister and seeking funds to clear bills that have been long due. Is this the Praja Palana the Congress promised?” Sarpanch Sagham chief GLN Reddy said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA T Harish Rao condemned the arrest of ex-sarpanches. He questioned the Revanth Reddy government over the arrests. “Does Praja Palana mean arresting sarpanches who have served at the rural level?” Harish Rao wondered.
BRS leader further said the Congress government should immediately release the detained ex-sarpanches and clear their long pending bills.
ప్రతిపక్షంలో ఉన్నపుడు బిల్లులు ఇవ్వడం లేదంటూ రెచ్చగొట్టి..
ఇప్పుడు అధికారంలోకి వచ్చి సర్పంచుల చేతులకు సంకెళ్లు వేస్తున్న కాంగ్రెస్.గ్రామ పంచాయతీలకు నిధులు ఇవ్వకుండా.. కేంద్రం నుంచి వస్తున్న నిధులను డైవర్ట్ చేస్తున్న రేవంత్.
– మాజీ మంత్రి, ఎమ్మెల్యే @BRSHarish pic.twitter.com/Yk1folwvHz
— BRS Party (@BRSparty) November 4, 2024
