HC seeks response on annual plans for CSSs

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 2: High Court today sought response from Government for implementing the annual plans under MNREGA and other Centrally Sponsored Schemes only on the basis of recommendation of Gram Sabha in accordance with Panchayat Raj Act.
The Division Bench of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey and Justice Rashid Ali Dar sought response from Commissioner/Secretary, Rural Development Department, Director Rural Development Department, Assistant Commissioner Development Anantnag, Block Development Officer Srigufwara and Block President PDP Bijbehara to the pleas of petitioners contained in the petition by next date of hearing.
DB directed the State Counsel B A Dar (AAG) to file the response, to the contentions raised in the PIL within a period of four weeks.
Petitioner prayed that officials be refrained from acting according to the dictation of Block President of a regional party and no recommendation be accepted from him in implementing the annual plan under MNREGA and other Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
He further prayed that he (Block President) be commanded not to interfere directly or indirectly in the implementation of MNREGA plan and utilization of funds thereof.
It is stated in the petition that the respondents are having large budgetary allocation under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) for development of the rural areas and for providing guaranteed Job to the rural population.
After the allocation of funds to the Panchayat Halqa, Gram Sabha which is meeting of the entire population of a Panchayat Halqa on spot is held to finalize the list of developmental works to be undertaken in a particular financial year.
That after allocation of the funds to the petitioner’s village for the financial year 2017-18 under the MNREGA the respondents called a meeting of Gram Sabha in the petitioner’s village wherein the list of development works was finalized and near about 100 developmental works were identified and list was prepared with respect to the rural connectivity and micro-irrigation in the village with the consensus that the works will be taken in the order of priorities to be decided subsequently in Gram Sabha.
Petitioners through their counsel Rizwan-u-Zaman submitted that Block President without any authority and competence is interfering in the implementation of the MNREGA plan 2017-18 in the petitioners village by firstly dictating the prioritization of development works and by employing the agents of his political party as brokers/contractors and commission agents in the development works which is totally prohibited under the MNREGA.
The political interference, it has been submitted, is totally unethical to the very idea of MNREGA scheme and the department of Rural Development is governed through the Panchayat Raj Act and the funds allotted through the Rural Development Department are to be utilized in accordance with the procedure laid under the Panchayat Raj Act.
Under the said Act, it is submitted that the most powerful and important Panchayat Raj Institution is the Halqa Majlis (Gram Sabha) which is constituted by all the voters of the Panchayat Halqa and the officials has to follow the decisions to be taken by the Gram Sabha while implementing the various Centrally Sponsored Schemes including MNREGA.
But in the present case, petitioners said, the respondents-authorities are following the dictates of Block President who is an extra constitutional authority running a parallel Government in violation of the provisions of Panchayat Raj Act and the very objective and purpose of MNREGA resulting in severely adverse effects on the role and functions of the constitutional and legal functionaries and there is total loot and abuse of public money.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here