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Term of reserved wards likely to be increased

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government is actively considering a proposal to maintain the reserved status of wards of civic bodies for 10 years with a view to ensuring continuity of the development works taken up by the people’s representatives in these wards and making them more accountable to the electorate, Local Administration Department sources told The Hindu here on Monday.

Panchayat, municipal and corporation wards are reserved for women, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes on a rotational basis by draw of lots once in five years.

Since a majority of the women who contest the civic elections are fist-timers, almost two years of their tenure is spent for attending training and capacity-building sessions. By the time they become familiar with the turf, their term (five years) would be over. This deters even active members from taking up demanding tasks. Many of them are found reluctant to take up major projects which demand more time than their tenure. There are also complaints that the rotation system has paved way for corrupt practices and made at least some of the members unaccountable to the electorate. Most of them enter electoral politics on political or personal compulsions and complete their tenure in a ritualistic manner.

Continuity in the reserved status of the ward would propel them to take up constructive schemes and help them to hone their leadership and administrative skills through constant interaction with the public.

The Fifteenth Anniversary Charter on Panchayati Raj, drawn up by the Centre to mark the devolution of powers to the local bodies, has also mooted extension of the term of reserved segments in all States. This is expected to save the expenses incurred for conducting capacity-building and training programmes for new members once in five years. The government would have to amend the Panchayati Raj Act to incorporate the change and it needs political consensus for this.

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