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Block Pramukhs on the warpath

Staff Correspondent

Devolution of power to local bodies sought

DEHRA DUN: The Block Pramukhs of Uttaranchal are once again on the warpath. This time they are staging an indefinite dharna before the Vidhan Sabha seeking devolution of powers to the local bodies as enshrined in the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments.

The Pramukhs took out a candlelight procession on Tuesday afternoon hoping the Government would be able to see the gross violation of Rajiv Gandhi's

panchayati raj dreams.

United under the banner of Uttaranchal Kshetra Panchayat Pramukh Sanghatan, over 45 Pramukhs belonging to the ruling Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party had resigned from the primary membership of their respective parties earlier this month accusing the Congress and erstwhile BJP governments of deliberately diluting the constitutional provision on panchayati raj by granting more powers to the bureaucrats instead of the elected panchayat representatives.

"We will continue to stage the dharna till the Government initiates action to involve the elected representatives in the planning and decision taking process and transfers the 29 departments to the panchayats as required under the Act," said Jot Singh Bisht, president of the Sanghatan.

The elected members of all the three tiers of panchayats are sore at the bureaucracy sidelining them on all issues related to the development of their rural or urban local constituencies (villages or wards in urban areas). Although these panchayat representatives did succeed in forcing the Government to transfer some departments to them they have no role in the new system that does not give them any administrative or financial powers.

" The babus continue to boss around and do not fall in line even if we say that we would approach the Minister or Chief Minister. We know the rules and no one can touch us'... is the reply a panchayat representative usually gets from the officials", Mr Bisht said.

Apparently shocked at the mass resignations by Pramukhs from the party, PCC president Harish Rawat has urged them to withdraw the resignations.

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