Will Telugu CMs take up merged villages issue?

Khammam : The two Telugu State Chief Ministers’ scheduled meeting to take place in Hyderabad on June 6 is raising hopes of the people in the district for restoration of the five panchayats which were merged with AP during the bifurcation. People from the five panchayats submitted a memorandum to Bhadrachalam MLA Tellam Venkat Rao to support their cause.

A senior citizen of Bhadrachalam T V Ramana hoped the dream of five panchayats of merging back in Telangana would get realised soon.

Purushothapatnam, Yetapaka, Kannayagudem, Gundala and Pichukulapadu were merged in Andhra Pradesh much against the wishes of the people. This has left Bhadrachalam with no dumping place. Another denizen K Srinivas Murthy said that Lord Rama temple lands to the extent of 889 acres in Purushothapatnam panchayat also went to AP as a result. They were being encroached by land grabbers, depriving the temple of considerable income. He said many appeals were made in the last ten years to President, Prime Minister, Governors, Union Ministers and CMs to resolve the issues of five panchayats, but in vain.

As the Congress party mentioned the issue in its manifesto and the TDP is also in favour of resolving the issue, the CM’s meeting is raising hopes among the people.

Another resident of Bhadrachalam K Ramakrishna said it was made difficult to travel on the roads for 8 km via these four panchayats to Dummagudem mandal in Telangana. The BRS government did not pay any focus on developing the roads in the last ten years, he said.

A Satyanarayana a resident of Gundala Panchayat ( AP), said people are facing difficulties in reaching the district headquarters at Paderu for redressal of grievances. In the last ten years the AP government failed to develop the five panchayats. He appealed to both CMs to solve the issue at the earliest.

Bhadrachalam MLA Tellam Venkat Rao said he apprise the CM of the will of people of five panchayats and would request him to raise the issue with the AP CM.