Forum urges ministers to fill vacancies of PDOs, secretaries in GPs

Sugrama—Gram Panchayat Elected Women Representatives’ Forum has urged District In-charge Minister V Sunil Kumar, Minister for Social Welfare Kota Srinivas Poojary and Minister for Fisheries S Angara to initiate steps to fill up vacancies, including that of panchayat development officers (PDOs) and secretaries at various Gram Panchayats in the district.

Shakeela Krishnappa Poojary, president of taluk Sugrama Sangha of Bantwal and Ullal and Malathi N K, president of Taluk Sugrama Sangha of Puttur and Kadaba, in their representations, said that there is a shortage of engineers in Gram Panchayats in Bantwal, Ullal, Puttur and Kadaba taluks to prepare an action plan for utilisation of funds under GP internal sources and 15th finance commission.

Separate toilet facilities along with restrooms for women staff should be constructed in each Gram Panchayat building, they urged.

As per Section 3 of the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act (2015), the deputy commissioner of the respective district should notify the habitations with a population of 100 to 300 and ‘habitation sabha’ should be organised prior to the ‘ward sabha’ and ‘gram sabha’. The initiatives have not been taken up in the district. Ward and gram sabha should become people-friendly, they said.

Further, the representation said that the honorarium of Gram Panchayat president, vice president and members should be increased to Rs 5,000, Rs 4,000 and Rs 3,000 respectively.

Steps should be taken to set up full-fledged taluk offices for the newly constituted Ullal and Kadaba taluks. Steps should also be taken to ensure that people get Forms 9 and 11 for the process of land conversion at the GP itself, they added.

The power of handing over single site approval for the layouts should be entrusted to the Gram Panchayats. Eligible beneficiaries for the housing projects should be selected based on the income of the family rather than ration cards. There is a need to promote Kannada medium schools that are on the verge of closure. Anganwadi centres should be converted into children friendly and special grants set aside for the same, they said.

They urged the government to take steps to provide title deeds to families in Bantwal, Ullal Puttur and Kadaba taluks, residing on private land.

The distribution of cycles for students in government schools should be relaunched, the representation stressed.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Rajendra K V inaugurated the district-level Sugrama convention at Zilla Panchayat Hall in Mangaluru.

ZP CEO Dr Kumar, Jana Shikshana Trust Director Sheena Shetty, among others, were present.