Baldia Has Become Synonymous With Corruption: KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said that the responsibility of making the towns and cities in the state ideals for the entire country was on the newly elected mayors, chairpersons, counsellors, ward members and corporators.

At the state-level Municipal Conference held on Tuesday, the Chief Minister spoke at length to the public representatives, and educated them about their duties and responsibilities, and on how public representatives should conduct themselves in the public life. While underlining the need to be steadfast in their work and striving to achieve goals, the CM, as is his wont, quoted a poem from Barthruhari's Subhashitalu as translated by Yenugu Lakshmana Kavi which goes "Arambhimparu neechamanavulu..."

"It will be a great accomplishment in life if you are good to the people. Power should not get into one's head. Don't aspire for status. Only 140 of you out of 5 crores people have become mayors and chairmen. This is a rare and golden opportunity to you given by the God. This is like a stepping-stone and it all depends on how much you scale up. You should not flop in this endeavor," the CM said.

He added, "The term municipality has become a synonym for drainage, dirt and garbage. And baldia (municipality) has become a second name for corruption. People often say baldia, khaya, peeya, chaldiya (municipality staff came, ate, drank and left). To clear yourselves of that reputation, transparent policies should be adopted and there should be a non-corrupt system in place."