Haryana sarpanches-govt standoff continues as talks fail

While Babli reiterated that the e-tendering system would bring in transparency and ensure quality in development works in villages, a body representing the sarpanches said they are against the policy.

The Haryana Sarpanches Association claimed that the new policy will create “hindrances” in development works. They plan to gherao the residence of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattra here on March 1 in support of their demands.

Interacting with reporters after the meeting, Babli, a JJP leader, said the sarpanches’ body presented him a charter of demands and he assured them that all these will be put before the chief minister.

“We told them that e-tendering is a government decision taken in the state’s interests. I have appealed to sarpanches to implement this system and later if they still face a problem, we can sit and discuss,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, association president Ranbir Samain told The Indian Express, “The minister expressed his inability to accept our demands and only assured that he would put forward their demands in a meeting of the state Cabinet, apart from talking to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. In this scenario, we don’t have any option but to carry out a march from Panchkula to the CM’s residence in Chandigarh on March 1.”

The association has been alleging that the government was trying to take away the rights of village panchayats by introducing the concept of e-tendering for development works in villages.

In the new system, the village panchayats can spend Rs 2 lakh for the development works at their own level, but the works above Rs 2 lakh will be carried out through the e-tendering process only. The government has been stating that the e-tendering is aimed at transparency in execution of the works. On Monday also, Devender Singh Babli insisted that the e-tendering system will bring in transparency and ensure quality in development works in villages.