8 villages debarred from hoisting flag in Nagarkurnool

Nagarkurnool: On Wednesday morning, when the people of Lingotam village, like millions of Indians, were trying to hoist the national flag to celebrate the Independence Day, they were prevented from doing so by officials. 

Likewise, the villagers of 8 merged grama panchayats under Achampet mandal of Nagarkurnool district were not allowed to hoist the Independence Day flag on Wednesday. 

According to the villagers, it is said that 8 villages under the Achampet revenue division were merged with Achampet municipality without the knowledge of the respective villages.

On Wednesday, when the villagers were trying to celebrate the Independence Day, they were not allowed to hoist the National flag at the respective grama panchayat offices by the municipal authorities citing that these GPs have been merged into Achampet municipality and now come under the municipal jurisdiction and the GPs have no authority to hoist the flag without the knowledge of the municipal authorities. 

Over this, the villagers expressed their deep concerns and asked the municipal authorities as to whom they have asked to merge their villages into Achampet municipality without their knowledge. 

According to villagers, Achampet MLA Guvvala Balaraju and Municipal Chairman Tulasiram have denied permission to the villagers not to celebrate Independence Day at their respective GPs as these villages have now been converted to be Councillor wards and have no right to hoist the flags at their GP offices.

“The municipal authorities have deprived our rights to celebrate Independence Day. We are deeply hurt the way the municipal authorities are behaving and taking unilateral decisions without concerns of the concerned villagers,” said villagers from Lingotam village, which is one among the 8 villages merged into Achampet municipality. 

The villagers as a mark of protest sat in front of the gram panchayat office and demanded action against the municipal administration officials for taking away their powers unilaterally by merging the village with the municipality.