Hyderabad: The Telangana govt has decided to frame clear and streamlined guidelines for the creation of new panchayats, citing the need to balance administrative feasibility with community benefit. Officials said that upgrading villages with populations below 500 into independent panchayats has proven to be a financial burden without offering significant public advantages.Since the Congress govt came to power, the panchayat raj department has received nearly 250 proposals from across the state, primarily pushed by ministers, MLAs, MPs, and other elected representatives. Most of these leaders are keen to fulfil promises made during the assembly election campaign, where commitments were made to grant panchayat status to smaller settlements.Sources said the department has compiled data on the requests. Of the 250 applications, only 37 villages meet the minimum population requirement of 500, as mandated under the Panchayat Raj Act. The rest fall short — in some cases, by a wide margin. In one instance, a village with just 90 families has been recommended for panchayat status.According to current norms, a village must have at least 500 people and be located at least three kilometres away from the nearest existing panchayat to be eligible for upgradation. Given these legal stipulations, officials have currently put all proposals on hold. They also clarified that the formation of new panchayats is unlikely before the upcoming local body elections.Apart from legal hurdles, the govt is also wary of the financial implications. New panchayats require infrastructure, staff, and budgetary support — all of which place a strain on state resources, especially when created without adequate population base or planning.The previous BRS govt had created over 3,000 new village panchayats, including many small hamlets and tribal thandas, drawing criticism for bypassing norms. Most of these were established at the behest of MLAs and other leaders, ignoring the demographic and economic viability of such administrative units.
