Defaulting States agree to hold civic polls

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 12. The States which have defaulted on the panchayat raj polls have agreed to hold elections by the end of this year, failing which the Centre will hold back rural development funds under Centrally-sponsored schemes, the Union Minister for Rural Development, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu told the States at the national conference of Panchayat Ministers here on Wednesday.

Panchayat elections are due in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Pondicherry, Delhi, Jharkhand and Uttranchal. Gujarat, Punjab and Bihar have held partial elections.

Briefing mediapersons today, the Minister said the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, will convene an all- party meeting to decide the role of MPs with regard to the Central schemes. The meeting will take into account the demand of MPs to have a say in the implementation of the rural development schemes.

Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said no view was taken on bringing the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) under the zilla parishad. This would be done after States devolve powers to panchayats.

It was decided to set up a task force comprising senior officials of the Ministry and Chief Secretaries from six States to operationalise decentralisation of funds, functions and functionaries by March 31, 2002. A majority of States have agreed to complete the devolution of panchayats by March 31, 2002 in respect of the subjects listed in the XI Schedule and under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act.

The States were advised to refrain from approaching law courts for postponement of elections. ``While the adequacy of the legal provisions relating to panchayat elections can be examined, the State Governments have to, in the first instance, ensure holding of elections every five years as is mandatory,'' he said.

The process of delimitation of constituencies and reservation of seats for SC/STs and women should be settled well in advance, after giving sufficient opportunity for settling disputes, is any, on these issues.

The Minister was categorical that the rotation of the term of chairpersons for less than five years would not be acceptable. Besides, the tendency to remove women chairpersons on some pretext or the other would be checked. The practice of appointing Minister-in-charge of district as chairperson of the District Planning Commission should be discontinued and that the chairman of district panchayat ought to be the chairperson of the DPC.

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