As Bhadrachalam gears up to host the annual Sri Rama Navami Brahmotsavams from March 25, the major Gram Panchayat in Telangana’s tribal heartland continues to face a piquant situation in the absence of an elected body at the helm for a long time.
Barring Bhadrachalam and Sarapaka GPs in the district, all the remaining 479 GPs have the elected bodies.
Gram Panchayat elections could not be held for the two GPs last year due to some legal wrangles over pending proposals to upgrade them into urban local bodies, sources said.
The Adivasi organisations in Bhadrachalam Agency have long been opposing any move to upgrade Bhadrachalam GP into a municipality on the ground that it will contravene laws applicable to Fifth Scheduled areas and undermine the interests of Adivasis.
A host of Adivasi organisations, including the Adivasi Sankshema Parishad (ASP), Bhadrachalam Adivasis Committee (BAC) and Adivasi Adikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM), have renewed their demand for continuation of Bhadrachalam as GP and early polls to elect representatives for the rural local body.
The demand has gained momentum following submission of a memorandum by a joint delegation comprising the representatives of several Adivasi organisations in this regard to the authorities of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Bhadrachalam, recently.
The Bhadrachalam Gram Panchayat, the grassroots unit of local self-government in the Fifth Schedule Area, has been without an elected body for long, rued former Zilla Parishad chairman of the erstwhile undivided Khammam district and ex-MLA Chanda Lingaiah Dora.
“How long the vital unit of local self-government be allowed to run by special officers without a sarpanch and other elected members,” he questioned, adding that it was imperative to have an elected body to uphold participatory democracy, achieve inclusive development and implement the laws governing the Agency Areas in letter and spirit.
Absence of the elected body is taking a toll on the development of Bhadrachalam GP, deplored ASP convenor Madavi Nehru.
The onus of holding elections to Bhadrachalam Gram Panchayat lies on the government to uphold constitutional provisions and decentralised democratic governance, he added.
