PWG warns village development panels

By Our Staff Reporter

NIZAMABAD, AUG. 19. The functioning of the powerful Village Development Committees (VDC), a parallel influential body of caste elders looking into the development aspect of the villages, has come in for sharp criticism by banned People's War Group naxalites, who have asked them to mend their ways or face the consequencies.

The panels have large presence in several villages of the Armoor and Balkonda Assembly constituencies, where their writ runs large. Even the democratically elected sarpanch and the ward members cannot defy the diktat of the village panels while taking up development works. The panels comprising one member each from different castes have taken upon themselves the responsibility to develop their villages.

While the role of several committees has been applauded by the administration and even the elected representatives, of late their involvement in the elections and issuing directions to the villagers to support a particular political party have brought out in the open the other side of their arm-twisting tactics. The role of some VDCs during the recent ZP and gram panchayat elections and the way they coerced several candidates not to enter the fray against a newly formed party has caused anger among the major political parties.

The VDCs were largely responsible for several unanimous elections of the MPTCs members in the two constituencies. Moreover, most of the candidates belonged to a new political party which caused heartburn among the other parties. The manner in which the VDCs imposed hefty penalties on the erring villagers and in some instances led to social boycott forced the police to interfere and make arrests.

The VDC members of Gadkol in Sirikonda mandal and some others in Armoor sub-division were booked by the police for forcing the villagers to unanimously elect a candidate from the newly floated party. In all 24 VDC members were arrested by the police for issuing diktats to the villagers to support a particular party.

The alleged interference of the villages committees did not end with the ZP elections. During the gram panchayat elections, they played a crucial role in deciding who the candidates should be for the sarpanch post. In some cases, auctions were organised by the VDCs to sell the sarpanch post, which raised furore among the political parties.

The VDCs' functioning has come in for close scrutiny by the officials also. The villagers are not in a position to utter a single word against the functioning out of fear of penalties or announcement of social boycott.

But, the statement in the name of the banned People's War Group Bheemgal, Kamareddy, Sirnapalli area secretary, Ganganna, warning the VDCs as well as the caste based committees to mend their ways is being seen as the culmination of the excesses committed by the panels. The PWG statement has criticised the committees for inviting tenders for even sale of liquor, eggs, essential commodities and soft drinks in the villages.

The PWG said the panels were demanding hefty deposits from those who were interested to run the business. These funds collected as deposits or development funds are being used for other purposes, the statement alleged. The panels were warned to do away with the tender system and told that any violation would invite serious trouble.

Even the PWG had started Gram Rajya Committees in several affected villages of Kammarpalli, Bheemgal and Morthad mandals some years ago. The villagers in these naxal influenced villages were asked to shun elections and warned that they should not participate in the elections of gram panchayat sarpanch. In some villages, the GRCs themselves took up development activities. But, the police crack down on them resulted in several GRCs winding up its activities.

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Section  : Southern States
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