Hyderabad: The Telangana government is mulling to bring in a new Act to strengthen the village panchayats. At least 29 government employees working for various departments will be brought to work under the chairmanship of village sarpanch. A high-level team will visit Kerala and Karnataka to study the panchayat raj system after which the draft of the new Act will be finalised. Public opinions will also be sought in this regard.
Disclosing this plan, panchayat raj minister K.T. Rama Rao said the government will also appoint special tribunals and ombudsmen for the villages for redressal of grievances and to develop accountability. Stating that the money collected from the people will be used for the development of the village, he said a special drive will be undertaken to create awareness to pay taxes regularly. Some government staff will be directed to conduct door-to-door visits to collect taxes, he said.
