VDCs fleecing Dalits for money

​Nizamabad: At a time when the whole world is moving ahead fast in the age of modernisation and technological developments, the gram panchayats in Nizamabad district are still steeped in casteism which has become rampant in the village development committees and several atrocities are also being committed by the village leaders on the poor Dalits and the common man.

These village elders are taking law into their hands and passing judgments on issues concerning the villages. Whatever decision they take is deemed to be correct.

Even if injustice is meted out them, they are forced to suffer silently without any protest or murmur. Instead of promoting developmental activities, the village development committees have become playgrounds for leaders politics of caste.

The village development committees were set up in the district with an aim of developing them without the influence of casteism or communalism. They have been set up to provide basic amenities like drinking water, streetlights and cement concrete roads.

However, the purpose of setting them up has been defeated with the interplay of caste politics and perpetuation of atrocities.

The village development committee members will decide the candidates for contesting to the posts of sarpanches and members of MPTCs.

The contestants have to cough up the amount demanded by the committee members. Else, they have to abide by the resolutions passed by the village development committees.

Those who are willing to pay the amount to the committee members can contest elections. If anybody defies the resolutions passed by the committees, he/she will be expelled. Such type of atrocities are found rampant in the committees situated in Armoor and Balkonda constituencies.

Two years ago, in connection with a land dispute, the village development committee members expelled some people living in Padagal village of Velpoor mandal in the district for no fault.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Friday, some of the villagers complained that the village development committee members were behaving like autocrats reminding them of the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

They alleged that one Veeriah, a VDC member hailing from Morthad mandal has been collecting large amounts of unaccounted money from the innocent people in the name of development.

Similarly, large amount of money was collected from the toddy tappers of Mupkal village of Balkonda constituency in October 2014 but no development activities were taken up.

The toddy tappers bemoaned that they were being robbed off all their meagre earning by the VDC members and they were finding it difficult to make both ends meet.

Speaking to The Hans India, District Mala Mahanadu president Mohan Rao demanded the State government to abolish the village development committees which were harassing and fleecing the Dalits for money. He expressed the hope that the Government would protect the interests of the Dalits.