The Hindu : Other States / Uttaranchal News : `Panchayat presidents can check officials'

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Sunday, Feb 06, 2005

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`Panchayat presidents can check officials'

By Our Staff Correspondent

DEHRA DUN, FEB. 5. The Uttaranchal Chief Minister, Narayan Dutt Tiwari, has asked the Principal Secretary (Forests and Rural Development), Vibha Puri Das, to speedily make arrangements to ensure that the Kshetra Panchayat (Development Block) presidents are empowered to exercise authority over the officials engaged in development works in their area.

Inaugurating a State-level Kshetra Panchayat presidents' workshop at the municipal auditorium here, Mr Tiwari said the elected panchayat representatives must enjoy control over the officials to bring about qualitative development in the villages. "Soon you will be able to write the annual confidential reports of the officials working in a block and I am sure this will bring about a revolutionary change in the functioning of the officials," he said.

The Kshetra Panchayat presidents will also be made members of the district level committees for planning and disaster management, he said.

The Chief Minister announced a Rs 25-lakh revolving fund for the Kshetra Panchayats.

The panchayat leaders wanted the Chief Minister to ensure that the 14 departments said to have been transferred to them are put under their control in the true sense. "The bureaucrats still continue to make plans according to their whims and the officials at the block or village level refuse to take even suggestions from the panchayat members. This makes us a laughing stock before the villagers who are also your (ruling party's) voters," they said.

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`Panchayat presidents can check officials'