Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday said that the state government would take up reorganisation of municipal corporations, municipalities and gram panchayats in line with the reorganisation of districts done in October 2016.
Mr Rao stated that creation of 21 new districts had proved to be a huge success within a year and inspired by this, the government will take up reorganisation of urban and rural local bodies to make them efficient, bringing administration more closer to the people and ensure speedy delivery of government services.
He said that the government will convene a special session of the Legislature in December to amend Municipalities Act and Panchayat Raj Act for the purpose.
Replying to debate. ‘Administrative Refor-ms: Emergence of New Establishments in the State’ in the Assembly, Mr Rao said that unless local bodies performed better, neither the states or the country can progress.
Mr Rao said, “When Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi convened the Niti Aayog meeting with all CMs last year, I categorically told him that the Centre and state governments together implement nearly '40 lakh-crore Budgets every year but neither the PM nor CMs can achieve the desired results if local bodies do not take responsibility and perform.”
He said he had told Mr Modi that the country needed to have performing local bodies. “The PM and all CMs appreciated my suggestions and now I wanted to do in Telangana state what I shared at the NITI Aa-yog meeting,” he said.
The CM added that the surrounding villages would be merged into municipal corporations and municipalities and even gram panchayats will be reorganised.
“Huge irregularities are coming to the fore in gram panchayats surrounding Hyderabad. Due to loopholes in existing Acts, the gram panchayats are permitting layout and building approvals and allowing five-six storey buildings on smaller plots. If any fire mishap occurs, there is no scope for fire engines to the douse the fire. In the new Act, we will define the power, duties and responsibilities of rural and urban local bodies,” Mr Rao said.
Mr Rao reiterated that the government had no plans to snatch away the power of the local bodies but was only concerned about making them efficient and result-oriented.
