With severe fund crunch, GPs in Chevella raise alarm bells

Rangareddy : Contrary to claims of the previous government that funds were being released for development of gram panchayats in the State, most local bodies in Ranga Reddy district – precisely covering a whole of Chevella Lok Sabha constituency, have turned into dry-wells.

The GPs are finding it difficult to address public issues or taking up civic works due to want of sufficient funds from the State as well as the Centre.

There are 559 gram panchayats in the district. Most of them survive only on property tax being collected from the local dwellers while funds from the State and Central governments are either missing completely or pending for a long time .

It is found that neither the local MLAs nor the concerned MP took pain to spend or secure funds for development in several gram panchayats in the district. This left the local bodies completely bereft of resources and forced them to survive only on property tax whatever they can get from the rural dwellers.

In particular is the case of Moinabad GP which is located close to the State capital and falls under the Chevella LS constituency. The population of the panchayat has reached 10,000 . It was 2,516 in 2011. Following the bifurcation of Surangal village, the GP came into being in 1995 with 10 wards. It was reserved for BC women and was mostly represented by the BRS after the State formation.

Although the Moinabad area witnessed a strong real estate boom ever since, the GP received a raw deal in terms of funds. specially from the previous government. Having been known for a myriad number of realty ventures and farm houses, the area is an abode to settlers mainly labour from surrounding districts and neighbouring States.

“Despite a four-fold increase in the population during the last 13 years, no sufficient funds were released to the GP. It is surviving on meagre revenue it is getting through the collection of property tax, which is not adequate even to pay salaries, leave alone fulfilling the needs of a swelling local bodies,” informed a GP official.

“While the GP is mandated to receive Rs.2 lakh a month from the Central government, it is not getting funds on time for a long time. It has received only Rs.14 lakh in 2023-24 and is consequently failing to take up development works on its own. Cherry on the top is the State government too failed to release funds since last year,” he added.

Elaborating the works taken up in the last nine years, the official said, “Barely two underground drainage works were taken up through MPTC fund, while 500 metres of CC roads were laid with the fund released by the local MLA. Apart from this, two CC roads were carried out under the MGNREG scheme during the last nine years. Unfortunately, no fund was released by the local MP in the last two years.”

“Whatever the revenue is being collected through property tax is not even sufficient to pay salaries and meet miscellaneous expenditure,” the official said, adding “Ot of a target of Rs.25 lakh property tax in 2023-24, only Rs.8.75 lakh has been collected so far--a mere 35% collection.”