Tamil Nadu   

Where size is an impediment

PHOTO: M. BALAGANESSIN

IN PROGRESS: Villagers attending a Gram sabha meeting of the Pudukottai panchayat on Tuesday. —

PUDUKOTTAI: Participants at the ‘Gram sabha’ meeting held at the Pudukottai village panchayat here on Tuesday expressed serious concern over prolonged delay in extending the governmental freebies, especially colour television sets and LPG stoves, to a majority of eligible residents belonging to economically weaker sections.

Reason: the big-sized panchayat has been forcing officials to select village panchayats with lesser population, so as to cover a large number of village panchayats.

Accounting for a number of residential colonies spread over a vast area with a population of about 15,000 and 15 ward members, this Grade I village panchayat has been witnessing a ‘lop-sided’ development too.

While a few colonies have ‘balwadi’ and fair price shops, the others have been languishing for similar facilities, despite justification.

Incidentally, the village panchayat elects three panchayat union ward members at the rate of one member for every population of 5,000.

Replying to the complaints by villagers, village panchayat president Diraviyarani Ashokpandian said that the size of the panchayat has itself been hampering the distribution of freebies. Officials preferred to cover a larger number of village panchayats under the freebies schemes, she said. The ‘Samathuvapuram’ in the village panchayat was the only area to be covered under the free television scheme, she added.

Steps would be taken to impress upon the officials to include the village panchayat for extending the freebies.

When a villager Iyappan referred to the sharp increase in property tax by 20 per cent, she said downward revision could not be effected now, as a majority of the residents had remitted the taxes.

She, however, assured that there would not be any upward revision during the rest of her tenure.

Residents also wanted drainage facilities and additional town bus services to be introduced from Pudukottai to their colonies.

Former president Rama Selvaraj and members of self-help groups spoke.

Mrs. Ashokpandian said that road was being laid at an expenditure of Rs.7.50 lakh at Iyappa Nagar, and work on a burial ground had been completed in Sengaithoppu.

The Gram sabha meeting was held in all the village panchayats in the district. Collector S. J. Chiru visited Kattathi village panchayat near Karambakudi.

He advised the officials to arrange bank loans for three beneficiaries of Indira Awaz Yojana scheme to complete the construction of their houses.

He gave away loans to the tune of Rs. 1.50 lakh sanctioned by the Indian Bank to three self-help groups. A pledge on ‘International Day of non-violence’ was administered to the villagers on the occasion.

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