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Andhra HC tells off govt for painting gram panchayat buildings with party colours
A division bench headed by chief justice J K Maheshwari made these observations while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on painting of panchayat building with YSRC party’s flag colours at Pallapadu gram panchayat of Vatti Cherukuru block in Guntur district.
The Andhra Pradesh high court on Friday found fault with the state government for ordering the painting of gram panchayat buildings with colours depicting the YSR Congress party flag.
A division bench headed by chief justice J K Maheshwari made these observations while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on painting of panchayat building with YSRC party’s flag colours at Pallapadu gram panchayat of Vatti Cherukuru block in Guntur district.
The high court bench observed that gram panchayat office buildings were government properties and it was not correct to paint them with party colours. When the government’s counsel pointed out during the previous Telugu Desam Party regime, too, the government buildings were painted yellow, which was the colour of the TDP.
The court said irrespective of which party was in power, no government should use party colours for public properties. It directed the Guntur district administration to submit a report in this regard within 10 days.
“Once we go through the report, we shall get the whole exercise inquired into and give appropriate orders,” the high court said.
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government introduced the concept of Village Secretariats with effect from October 2 as part of the exercise to bring the administration to the doorstep of the common man.
As part of the exercise, all the gram panchayat buildings have been converted into Village Secretariats and were painted with YSRC party’s colours.
