The Hindu : Front Page : Local body members face disqualification threat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 17, 2007
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Local body members face disqualification threat

N.J. Nair

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: About 90 per cent of the members of local self-government institutions in the State face the threat of disqualification for their failure to convene the grama sabhas on time.

Official sources said on Monday that the majority of elected members of the five corporations, 53 municipalities and 999 grama panchayats had not convened the ward and grama sabhas once in three months as stipulated by the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act. If any voter moves the State Election Commission against the lapse, the members are liable for disqualification. Following the amendment to the Act, the onus to convene the grama sabha is on the ward member and he will held responsible for the failure to do so.

As per the original Act, the grama sabhas are required to meet at least twice a year. Fixing the date, time and venue of the meeting is the responsibility of the president. He has to finalise the schedule in consultation with the ward member, who is the convener. Following an amendment to the Act which came into force on March 24, 1999, the meetings are required to be held once in three months. Another amendment made on August 24, 2005 makes the member responsible for fixing the schedule, in consultation with the president.

Failure to convene grama sabha is considered a serious lapse, as it deprives the voters of their right guaranteed by the Constitution. Corporations and municipalities have the worst track record in organising the meetings when compared with panchayats. The majority of corporations and municipalities has not conducted the ward sabhas and some others have organised it in a namesake manner.

The State Election Commission is understood to have taken a serious view of the issue and would take stringent action against erring members on getting complaints, sources said.

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