Guntur: DPO issues show-cause notices to 140 sarpanches

Guntur: District panchayat officer R Kesava Reddy issued show-cause notices to 140 sarpanches who failed to pay the bills for works completed under MNREGS in the district.

Divisional panchayat officers and EORDs are asking those who completed the works under MNREGS to meet the concerned MLAs to get nod for the payment of bills. The government has to pay Rs 20 crore bills for the works executed under MNREGS in Sattenapalli, Vinukonda, Gurazala, Narasaraopet and Macherla Assembly constituencies in the district. This work was done during the TDP regime.

The YSRCP leaders are not ready to sanction bills to the TDP sympathisers. According to sources, district collector Vivek Yadav directed to cancel the cheque power of the sarpanches who did not clear the bills for the completed works.

Taking this into consideration, the DPO issued show-notices to the sarpanches because sarpanches are newly elected. Following orders of the High Court, the government released Rs 121 crore to pay bills under MNREGS to 140 grama panchayats.

Panchayat raj commissioner Girija Sankar and principal secretary, panchayat raj Gopala Krishna Dwivedi directed the district administration to pay pending bills for work done under the MNREGS. If contempt of court case is filed, the officials will be held responsible for delay in payments.