The Telangana government has informed the High Court that after reorganising the gram panchayats in 2018, it directed all the additional district collectors to ensure that the gram panchayats lease out the fishing rights in minor irrigation tanks, without publicly auctioning these to the fishermen cooperative societies, duly following the guidelines of GO 343.
If the gram panchayats have not followed the instructions, action will be taken against the sarpanches and panchayat secretaries, it added. Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania filed a common counter affidavit before Justice A Rajasheker Reddy, who was dealing with a batch of petitions filed by fishermen societies of various districts. They sought permission to receive the lease rights for fishing in their respective tanks. Justice Reddy said the court is not inclined to decide the inter se dispute between the respondents.