Hyderabad: Telangana Sarpanches JAC Chairman Survi Yadaiah Goud has urged governor Jishnu Dev Varma to grant an appointment to highlight the severe financial crisis faced by former sarpanches due to long-pending bills.In a letter, he said bills of 12,769 sarpanches have remained unpaid for the past 15 months, despite their term ending in February 2024. “Over 90 sarpanches have already committed suicide due to the non-clearance of bills. Many more families are under threat, unable to bear pressure from lenders. We seek your intervention to ensure funds are released in this budget session itself,” Yadaiah wrote. He said that between 2019 and 2024, sarpanches undertook extensive village development works, including segregation sheds, dumping yards, nurseries, sports grounds, gram panchayat buildings, Anganwadi centres, reading rooms, soak pits, Palle Pragati phases, Haritha Haram, CM’s special development fund works, Mission Bhagiratha tap fittings, Vaikunta Dhamams, Bruhat Palle Prakruti Vanams, Kanti Velugu camps, and Covid-19 emergency services. Toilets in schools and hospitals, compost fertilisers, and insurance for sanitation workers were also taken up. Highlighting recognition from the Centre, Yadaiah said Telangana sarpanches bagged 19 of 20 national awards for their initiatives. Yet, he lamented, the new govt has not released a single rupee to clear bills, forcing sarpanches to borrow at high interest and driving some to suicide.
