The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Amendments mooted to Panchayat Raj Act

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 14, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Amendments mooted to Panchayat Raj Act

N.J. Nair

Proposal to make local bodies licensing authority
LSGIs can take action against erring units

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amend ments to the Panchayat Raj Act have been mooted to make local self-government institutions (LSGIs) the industrial licensing authority and empower them to regulate the units’ functioning within their purview.

The amendments are expected to lend more teeth to the civic bodies to take punitive action against industrial units that function in violation of pollution control norms and exploit natural resources. It was the experience of Perumatty and Puthussery panchayats in Palakkad district that prompted the Local Administration Department to consider making significant modifications to the Act.

Following protests over the exploitation of groundwater by soft drink companies, Perumatty panchayat in Chittoor block and Puthussery panchayat in Malampuzha block decided to initiate action. The Perumatty panchayat cancelled the licence of the company on the charges of exploiting groundwater resources, but Puthussery panchayat failed to take action, as the company was located in the area notified for setting up industrial units.

Department sources told The Hindu that the provisions of the Act which deny LSGIs free access to the notified areas had come as an eye-opener to the government.

“Such provisions are against the spirit of decentralisation of powers and the attempts to develop civic bodies as local governments,” the sources said. Civic bodies, which handle the lion’s share of the Plan funds and play a pivotal role in local planning and development, should also have the authority to take action against erring industrial units functioning in notified areas.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu