The Backward Classes community hall at Jajireddygudem is probably one of its kind in Telangana. It does not foster social cohesion or civic pride, but causes rifts between groups, thanks to officials and leaders of the ruling party.
Several rules of the District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) were violated, since the start till the execution now, to build it in a private property owned by a sub-caste group.
It was on December 3 last year that Thungathurthy MLA Gadari Kishore Kumar laid the foundation stone for the hall, almost 15 months after he got his proposal sanctioned by the DMFT.
As per rules, for the ₹10 lakh work, the Panchayat Raj Engineering department, which is the building agency, must see to it that the site of construction is owned by the government.
However, Jajireddygudem village and mandal leaders, who belong to a BC sub-caste, purchased a piece of land in October and arranged for all works to be done there, starting from the first stone laying by the MLA. The land was also registered in the name of the community.
But interestingly, when a few persons raised the issue in the gram sabha, the panchayat passed a ‘majority resolution’ deciding the same place for the community hall on February 20, two months after the foundation stone ceremony.
Petitions ignored
“The DMFT-sanctioned community hall will be built in 0.04 gunta opposite the house of Reddimalla Vijaya,” it read. And whenever a few dissenters filed petitions under the Right To Information Act or registered complaints with the District Collector, works did not stop rather gained pace, and reportedly another rule was cited: “Works sanctioned and executed will not be cancelled.”
A Registered Medical Practitioner J. Laxman protested the decision taken by the leaders of his community to build the hall there.
“That is our property, bought after our members contributed. It may sound harsh, but what is their (other sub-castes) right over our property? They should contribute too, otherwise we can’t let them in,” he said, alleging political manipulation.
For M. Satyanarayana, a local brick businessman, the mandal with about 10,000 population would have to face problems along caste lines in future, if officials don’t stick to rules. His wife, a ward member in the panchayat, had opposed the resolution.
“BCs include tens of other sub-castes. This political and official play, for whoever’s advantage, must stop,” he said.
When contacted, a PRE official said that the land in question was donated to gram panchayat by the community leaders recently. “However, registration in the GP’s name is pending, and remaining payments will be made only after that,” the official said.
