Gram Panchayats figure to touch 600 in Khammam

Khammam: Legislators in Khammam district succeeded in upgrading more number of thandas as gram panchayats (GPs). If everything goes as per plan, there will be 600 gram panchayats in Khammam district from the present 427 ones. MLAs faced lot of pressure from thandas whose population is below 500 to make them as gram panchayats (GPs). The issue was taken to the notice to the Chief Minister. 

Officials identified 65 thandas whose population is more than 500 to be upgraded as GPs. The first survey is very precise and upgraded thandas, whose population is more than 500. Same demand came from legislators of other districts. With this, a special format to identify such thandas was evolved and new guidelines were added in it. “As per the new format, the houses far away from the thandas were brought into the thandas, which were not more than 500 population and proposed for upgrading GPs. In some cases, the houses from major GPs were added into the thandas. MLAs involved directly in it and evolved the report with the support of the officials. The report was sent to the government,” an official said.

About 20 new GPs in Khammam Assembly segment and 23 in Madhira will come up. Wyra stood first with the shaping of 44 thandas as GPs and 38 in Palair segment. Seven GPs in Yellandu segment were annexed in Khammam district and 41 GPs in Sattupalli segment. 

Ruling party MLAs made most of the opportunity to boost their political mileage by satisfying people of many thandas. However, upgrading thandas as GPs is simple, but providing funds to them will become a big task to these legislators in the future.