Sarpanches…perform or perish
Onus on sarpanches to perform
with responsibility
Telangana Today (25-10-2017)
Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao
The State Cabinet
decided to bring in a new legislation to strengthen Panchayat Raj Institutions as
well as conduct elections well before the expiry of the tenure. The state
cabinet also decided to upgrade tribal hamlets, Gondugudems and Chenchupalles
into gram panchayats besides carving out additional panchayats on population
cum geographical criteria. This might increase the number of gram panchayat by
a maximum of 5000 from the existing 8684.
Under the united Andhra Pradesh State elections to
Panchayats were held in July 2013 in Telangana. The term of the Sarpanches commenced
on August 2, 2013 and will come to an end on August 1, 2018. According to the
Panchayat Raj Act, elections can be conducted three months prior to the end of
the tenure. Governments in the past totally neglected the development through
local bodies. It is very unfortunate that the Panchayat Raj system, which is
supposed to mirror the development of the villages, had lurched into political filth
and became fiefdom of the elected local representatives neglecting their very
basic duties. The weakening of the local bodies resulted in the
underdevelopment of the state and the country. The desired development of state
and country is possible only when the local bodies function well and that was
the reason why SK Dey who
pioneered and steered community development in independent India envisioned it
as a movement rather as a simple institution. Now gone are those days.
Former Prime Minister Late PV Narasimha Rao in 1992
brought in the key 73rd Constitutional Amendment paving way for devolution
of 29 subjects of funds, functions and functionaries to the Panchayats. Unfortunately,
all these have been reduced to paper texts only. Several state governments either
have not transferred the subjects or in many instances most of the Sarpanches
were not been able to discharge their duties. There are only a handful of
villages, which lived up to the spirit of 73rd amendment. The Panchayat
Raj system has been weakened and rendered helpless. The development and welfare
programmes to be implemented by the Sarpanches have become a distant dream.
There is no accountability, transparency and responsiveness on the part of
Sarpanches with regards to their obligatory development and welfare village
level responsibilities like the road network, drainage facility, drinking water
supply, sanitation, hygiene of schools in the village, garbage and so on. The
Sarpanch transformed into resorting to threaten the MLA concerned in shifting
his responsibility and demanding the MLA to perform instead. This needs a
revolutionary change.
The local bodies and panchayats raj Institutions which
are supposed to play a pivotal role in a decentralized democratic set up have
become replicas of irresponsibility. Recommendations of Balwant Rai Mehta,
Ashok Mehta, GVK Rao, LM Singhvi and other committees have not been implemented
in letter and spirit. Answer to the question as to “why Panchayat set up” is
very simple…to distribute the local resources equally, ensuring the locals participation
in the government works, to attend to the day to day needs of the people, to
create more local employment, to implement poverty eradication programs at
local level and things like that. None of these are happening. In our democracy
local self-governance has a crucial role to play in bringing the benefits of
democracy closer to the people.
To realize this and to ensure comprehensive village
development, Chief Minister KCR conceived a scheme called Gram Jyothi and
implemented. In the initial phase, under the programme, people in the villages
came together to make the village clean, green and hygienic. Officials from all
levels and elected representatives with the participation of the local people
drafted plan for the village development. However, the Sarpanches have miserably
failed to take this initiative forward and as result the desired results could
not be realized. Hence the people should show their strength and teach how to
take the village forward in development with proper planning. People should
take the lead role in strengthening the Panchayat Raj institutions.
Unfortunately, the Sarpanches who are expected to play decisive
role have forgotten even to live in their village! The Mandal Praja Parishath
President who is supposed to tour the entire Mandal and monitor the development
activity seldom visits even the Mandal headquarters! The ZPTC members who are
supposed to act as bridge between the Zilla Parishath and Mandal have given-up their
basic duties. The government programmes, which are to be implemented at the
ground level with people’s participation, have not been done. The Gram sarpanch
has no intention of working for the village and has no desire to develop his
village. He has no proper check about discharging his responsibilities as of
now.
Why not we develop our own villages? Why can’t we create
permanent assets in the villages? Visit any village the atmosphere is that of
neglect. Imagine if a sarpanch decides; will there be sale of the illicit
liquor? Playing cards? Will not long-term development works like planting of
saplings and protecting trees be successful? Against this backdrop, there is an
urgent need to bring in changes in the existing Panchayat Raj Act and that is
what the Government thinks. Towards this the Government thinking is to consult
experts in the field and draft the best of the Act.
The Act should think of remedial measures on
non-performing people’s representatives. Either perform or perish shall be the
guiding principle. The entire responsibility and a major portion of it should rest
with the sarpanch and the rest on the other elected ward members. The sarpanch
who fails to perform should be declared ineligible. The sarpanch should have at
least one meeting per week in the Dalit Bastis, Rajak Wada and other such areas
to interact with people and solve their problems. The Sarpanch shall not live
outside the village come what may. He or she should have permanent residence in
the village where he or she got elected.
Sarpanch shall be entrusted with
the responsibilities of ear marking Dumping yard, identifying place for
cremation and burial, ensuring cleanliness in the educational instructions, developing
nursery, protecting the trees along the main roads leading to the village,
cleansing water tanks, ensuring timely payment of the house tax etc. People in
the village should be educated on the state and central government development
and welfare schemes by the Sarpanch.
Telangana state should become
platform for a wonderful Panchayat Raj system and should become role model for
a working Panchayat and functioning sarpanch. Unless each village becomes a
Panchayat itself, no amount of funds granted will bring in development. The
Sarpanches should get a realization that if they do not perform they will be
disqualified. And hence, a candidate while planning to contest as sarpanch will
think twice before taking the plunge. They should realize that they should
perform or perish. If we produce a performing panchayat it will be a great
service to society.
And hence a Revolutionary
Telangana Panchayat Raj Act is in the offing. END
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