Telangana: Villagers held Gram Panchayat officials hostage over irregularities

Khammam: Residents of a village in Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka’s Madhira constituency locked officials inside the gram panchayat office and accused them of not allocating Indiramma houses to eligible people. The incident took place at Kishtapuram village in Mudigonda mandal of the constituency. The villagers protested outside the GP office and complained that officials have allotted Indiramma houses to those who have land and government jobs. Speaking to the media at Bonakal, former Zilla Parishad president Lingala Kamal Raju complained that the Congress government claims to sanction Indiramma houses to the poor under Praja Palana. But these houses are being sanctioned only to Congress party workers.

Similarly, Kamepalli CPM mandal secretary B Srinivas said a survey conducted by the party in Lalya Thanda revealed that there are about 35 homeless families, but only 16 houses have been sanctioned for the Thanda village. Residents of Mahamad Nagar of Chandragonda mandal in Kothagudem on Tuesday expressed anger at officials who came to survey the village as eligible people did not get Indiramma houses. They argued with officials over the fact that Indiramma houses were not allotted to the poor in the village adopted by Aswaraopet MLA Jare Adinarayana. Residents of Ayyannapalem, another village in the mandal, alleged that Indiramma houses were given to those who already had houses in the village. They had a heated argument with the village secretary and complained that Indiramma committee members and ruling party leaders gave houses to those who bribed them.