The Union has demanded that the government take up its proposals and solve the issues once and for all.
At a press briefing on Thursday, Union president J Santana Rodrigues said, “We have informed the government umpteen times about the difficulties faced by the panchayat bodies, but as usual, the government has not gone beyond giving assurances. Yet, we have chosen to have an open mind, a new glimmer of hope, that this time, the government will mean business.”
He continued, “The fact is that the State government feels it will lose its grip on the elected bodies; it fears that its role, control and subjugation of these bodies to dance to its tune will be considerably reduced. The MLAs of the ruling as well as opposition parties feel that their influence over their constituencies will be substantially diminished.”
“On devolution of powers, the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution of India clearly lays down the guidelines for devolution of powers to the village panchayat bodies as per the provisions in the Panchayat Law. Not only has it not been done, but even some powers that they are using are being withdrawn gradually to suit the vested interests of politicians and the government,” said Santana.
He added, “Some years back, the government had taken upon itself the responsibility of maintaining the streetlights, and for this purpose, it had also enhanced the unit price of electricity consumption. However, the government, by notification, decided to implement the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission’s report (JERC) without seeking comments from the local bodies. It is, therefore, imperative that the government reverses the decision.”
