The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Government accused of ignoring Panchayati Raj

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 12, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Government accused of ignoring Panchayati Raj

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Three members of the Shimoga Zilla Panchyat have alleged that the State Government has been destabilising the Panchayati Raj system by making it a "puppet" in the hands of legislators.

B.R. Jayanth, Kalagodu Rathnakara and H.C. Basavarajappa told presspersons here on Saturday that the Government had been interfering in the decentralised administrative machinery and made it to work under the legislators despite the High Court's directions.

The Government had issued a circular directing the Chief Executive Officer of Shimoga Zilla Panchayat to prepare a list of priority works pertaining to roads and buildings on the basis of the list submitted by MLAs.

Challenging the validity of the circular as the listed works were to be taken up under the funds provided in the 12th Finance Commission, the three filed a writ petition in the High Court of Karnataka.

The High Court, in its order on November 2, had ruled that "... the list of works submitted by the MLA concerned shall be considered by the zilla panchayat objectively along with other works while preparing the priority list bearing in mind the public interest... "

Interpreting the order, the petitioners held the view that the order was clear enough to point out that preparing the priority list was the prerogative of the Standing Committee of the zilla panchayat.

And the committee had to consider the list submitted by the MLA concerned keeping the public interest in mind.

The Government should under no circumstances approve the works specified in the list submitted by the MLA concerned ignoring the list prepared by the standing committee, they said.

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