The Hindu : `Panchayat Raj has failed in State'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 10, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

`Panchayat Raj has failed in State'

By Our Special Correspondent

HUBLI June 9. Those who did not understand the subject turned up, and those who did, played truant at the seminar on "Decentralisation — a success or a failure" held here on Sunday evening for the benefit of members of local self-governments. "Mathrubhumi", founded by Basavaraj Bommai, AIJD MLC and former Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, organised the seminar.

B.K. Chandrashekar, Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education, who is considered to be the Congress ideologue on the Panchayat Raj system, was scheduled to inaugurate the seminar. He cancelled his visit at the last moment.

Not the least surprising though, since Mr. Chandrashekar is notorious for not keeping his appointments.

Even a seminar on a subject dear to his heart could not make him renounce his habit of cancelling engagements at the eleventh hour.

K.N. Gaddi, Minister of State for Forests and in-charge of the district, who inaugurated the seminar instead, was clueless about the subject he had been invited to speak on.

In his "speech", Mr. Gaddi rambled on just about everything under the sun, except on whether the democratic decentralisation experiment in Karnataka was a success or a failure.

This was despite Mr. Bommai's opening remarks on the subject earlier.

The gist of what Mr. Gaddi tried to convey was that there should not be politics in development works.

He did not say anything about what the Government's perception on the issue was.

Mr. Bommai said Karnataka's reputation as a State that held a candle to others regarding the Panchayat Raj system was waning gradually, with other States taking a lead over Karnataka.

Despite the series of measures taken up by the Government, there had been no real transfer of power to the people, he said.

If the democratic decentralisation experiment was to take roots in Karnataka, it was imperative to overhaul the present Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act thoroughly. As many as 47 changes had to be made in the present Panchayat Raj system, he said.

The power to expropriate money for schemes and the authority to decide on whatever was required were some of the facilities Mr. Bommai sought for gram panchayats. The Act must be amended as soon as possible, he said.

Less than half a dozen legislators, including Basavaraj Horatti, JD(U) MLC, Shivanand Ambadagatti, Shivalli MLA, and a handful of representatives of panchayat raj institutions attended the meeting.

The seminar concluded by adopting resolutions calling for urgent steps to strengthen local bodies, and urging the Government to earmark the entire revenue earned through motor vehicle and commercial taxes to local bodies.

It concluded that heads of gram and taluk panchayats should be made chairmen of local task forces and that urgent steps should be taken to implement decisions taken at gram sabhas.

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