Sarpanches from across Prakasam district swarmed the Prakasam Bhavan to register their strong protest against disconnection of electricity to street lights and drinking water projects to some of the gram panchayats in the district.
The heads of grassroots level democratic institutions assembled in-front of the Collectorate and raised slogans urging the State government to clear their power tariff bills as promised by it.
“It is between the State Government and the APSPDCL to sort out the issue as funds belonging to Panchayats have been withheld by the State government for the purpose”, contended its district president P.Venkat Rao while leading the protest. While power connection to 100 panchayats were disconnected,
notices were served to 1000 other local bodies, said its founder president G.Veerabhadrachari. The State Government had passed orders in 2002 and again in 2009 to clear power tariff charges of the local bodies, he recalled.
They also opposed leases for mining granite, sand and other minerals without No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Gram Panchayats concerned, non-involvement of sarpanches in the implementation of projects taken up with funds from MPs and MLAs. They pressed for early completion of Panchayat Bhavans by sanctioning Rs. 20 lakhs.
