Upgradation process of major and nagar panchayats soon

Hyderabad: In yet another initiative to ensure effective and efficient administration in rural areas, the State government has decided to upgrade major and nagar panchayats in the State to municipalities. Consequently, the government has sought from district administrations the list of the same that qualify for upgradation as municipalities.

The Panchayat Raj Department has set January 25 as the deadline for submission of lists to the government. The Cabinet Sub-Committee on PR Act under the chairmanship of Panchayat Raj Minister Jupally Krishna Rao had recommended, in its report submitted to Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao a week ago, upgradation of major and nagar panchayats into municipalities.

Major panchayats are those which have population between 2,000 and 5,000 while nagar panchayats are those which have population above 5,000.

The government is all set to bring in major amendments to the existing PR Act and Municipal Act and had appointed a Cabinet Sub-Committee to look into various aspects. Based on the Chief Minister’s instructions, the PR officials issued guidelines to upgrade tribal hamlets into gram panchayats. The department has now called for lists of thickly populated villages for upgradation as municipalities.

“We have asked the district officials to send the list of proposed gram panchayats as well as major and nagar panchayats for upgradation as municipalities, and are expecting it in a couple of days,” Deputy Commissioner of PR department Rama Rao told Telangana Today.

The government has decided to upgrade tribal hamlets with population of over 500 into gram panchayats. Simultaneously, it intends to bring in required amendments to the existing Acts to to create new municipalities either by merging villages or by independently upgrading nagar panchayats based on population figures.

The district officials recently sent proposals to the State government for creation of new gram panchayats but the PR Department further wanted fresh lists comprising major and nagar panchayats with population between 15,000 and 20,000. Besides, the department has also asked the district officials to identify major and nagar panchayats which can meet the requirements for upgradation as municipalities by merging two to three villages in a radius of about 5 km, sources said.

The department has given a free hand to district administrations to consider clubbing of villages where the population criterion doesn’t permit upgradation of major and nagar panchayats into municipalities. The government is taking all necessary measures for creation of new municipalities before the present tenure of gram panchayats come to an end.

After the new PR and Municipal Act come into force, the department will denotify all such gram panchayats to facilitate upgradation as municipalities.

Development will get a boost once the major and nagar panchayats are upgraded as municipalities, and new industries can be expected to come up with the availability of basic infrastructure, Kothur major gram panchayat sarpanch G Jagan said.