Move to amend Panchayat Raj Act flayed
The Governor must not allow the execution of Panchayat Raj Act Amendment Bill which has received consent in the Legislature with an intention to reduce the power of Gram Panchayats by the government, urged Udupi Taluk Gram Panchayat Federation President Deviprasad Shetty in a press release.
He criticied the government for trying to hamper the decentralised system by shifting the power from Gram Panchayat President and members to Pachayat Development Officers. “The government is expected to strengthen Gram Panchayats rather than pushing them down,” he said.
Further, he opined that all the Pachayat representatives keeping aside the political views, must unite together to fight against decentralisation and for the survival of Gram Panchayats which are on the verge of threat.
“The attempts to propose Panchayat Raj Amendement Bill by Dharam Singh and H D Kumaraswamy during their tenure of Chief Minstership were failed owing to the strong agitation from Panchayat representatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, he complained that the government is keeping forward wrong steps and is trying to involve MLAs and officers in Panchayat Raj system by attempting to bring in 73rd amendment to Panchayat Raj Act.
“Kerala is the only government in our nation which has realised the dream of ‘Gram Swaraj’ by granting utmost power to the Gram Panchayats. Gandhiji believed that the success of a democracy depends on self - administration in the grassroot level. And it is for the same reason that the additional powers were given to local governance by decentralising the system,” he said.
He has warned the government not to take hasty decisions which would affect the fundamental right of Indian citizens. “All Gram Pancyat staffs would strictly oppose the amendment of the Act and are ready to hold a huge protest in this regard,” he informed.
