Belgaum: Members of the Belgaum Zilla Panchayat criticised officials for allegedly showing scant regard to resolutions passed by the elected body.

At the zilla panchayat general body meeting here on Wednesday, members criticised the alleged failure of the executive machinery to implement even one resolution passed in the first two general body meetings of the zilla panchayat and the "inability" of the president Fakeerappa Gorbal to act against such officials.

Members took strong exception to "habitual" absentee officials, forcing the president to direct the CEO to write to the Government recommending suspension of the Assistant Education Officer of Raibag, who neither replied to the show-cause notice issued in the zilla panchayat's last general body meeting nor attended Wednesday's meeting.

Officials sent back

Adding to the embarrassment and discomfiture of officials, the president sent back two officials who were "representing" their departmental heads. Two technical assistants, representing the executive engineer of Ghataprabha Left Bank Canal (GLBC), Chikkodi, and the executive engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD), Belgaum, were asked to leave the meeting hall as the Chair was not convinced with their answers. The executive engineer of the GLBC was processing a tender document and the executive engineer of the PWD was on a site inspection, the meeting was told. Both the senior officials did not inform either the ZP president or the CEO that they would be absent from the meeting.

Mr. Gorbal rejected repeated demands of about a dozen Marathi-speaking members to issue copies of proceedings and other official circulars in Marathi as per the provisions of the Official Language Act. He did not heed the demand even when members pointed out that the Deputy Commissioner had ordered the zilla panchayat to issue official copies in Marathi also.

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