Telangana: K Chandrashekar Rao announces 60 day plan to revitalise villages

The Telangana Government has announced a 60-day action plan to take up greenery and cleanliness works in all the gram panchayats in the State. The villages will be asked to prepare a five-year plan, factoring in the strengths and weaknesses of respective habitations.

“These elements should be incorporated in the yearly and five-year plans of villages,” Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said.

At a review meeting, Rao asked the officials and public representatives to get for ready for programme that seeks to give a new look to villages by removing all the debris piled-up at street corners, dilapidated houses and revive the basic village infrastructure. He asked the officials to tap the NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) scheme funds to fill dysfunctional wells and borewells.

The action plan would also see cleaning-up of sewerage, removal of garbage and a clean environment at schools, hospitals and anganwadis. It would also include a Power Week and Haritha Haram (tree-planting programme).

The Chief Minister asked the officials to take measures to ensure that there was no water-logging in low-lying areas and setting up a cremation facility for every 2,000 population. “You should set apart lands for a dump yard, a community hall and community godown in every village.”

“The face of village has not changed much. Though thousands of crores are being spent, the results are not tangible,” he said.

Tax collections

The Chief Minister wanted the local bodies to focus on tax collections by ensuring all the stakeholders pay their bit. “Village secretaries should ensure 100 per cent collection of taxes and power bills. The communities should approach the companies in the neighbourhood and convince them to spend the statutory CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds for the development of villages,” he said. He also wanted the local bodies to maintain a proper record of births and deaths.

From the government side, he assured that all the vacancies in the Panchayat Raj Department and other relevant departments would be filled up to ensure smooth governance.