NALGONDA: Panchayat secretaries across Telangana have announced mass leave from Wednesday following a call by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) to press for the resolution of their long-pending issues.
President of the Nalgonda Panchayat Secretaries’ Association, SA Qasim, stated that bills worth crores of rupees for gram panchayats have been pending for the past 18 months. He added that during the last two summers, individual secretaries incurred debts ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh to ensure an uninterrupted water supply.
Qasim also highlighted the tragic death of Indanpally secretary Chandramouli from Jannaram mandal in Mancherial district, attributing it to financial stress caused by unpaid dues.
Secretaries are reportedly facing major difficulties with the DSR app, struggling to upload photos and location details related to their work. They say poor network connectivity in villages causes delays, preventing them from carrying out other government duties. Qasim noted that secretaries are burdened with more than 30 different government-related apps on their phones, leading to numerous technical issues.
Further compounding their problems, the absence of sarpanchs in gram panchayats for the past 18 months and the implementation of the special officer rule have left many secretaries distressed due to a lack of funds. Many revealed they have had to borrow money from various sources for emergency work. Despite repeated appeals to the government regarding pending bills, they claim no action has been taken.
In protest against the issues with the DSR app, panchayat secretaries have decided to boycott it. In Nalgonda district alone, 848 out of 868 gram panchayat secretaries have already joined the boycott, according to the panchayat secretary JAC.