Panchayati Raj bodies’ 5-yr tenure ends, Himachal govt appoints administrators

In exercise of powers under Section 140(3)(b) of the Act, the Governor of Himachal Pradesh has constituted committees to exercise the powers and perform the functions of the dissolved bodies. For Gram Panchayats, the Block Development Officer will function as Chairperson, while the Panchayat Secretary will act as Member Secretary. For Panchayat Samitis, the Chief Executive Officer will be the Chairperson, with the Social Education and Block Planning Officer or a nominated official as member, and the Panchayat Inspector or Sub Inspector as Member Secretary. For Zila Parishads, the Chief Executive Officer will serve as Chairperson, with the District Development Officer as Member and the District Panchayat Officer as Member Secretary.

As per the notification, for payments related to Central Finance Commission grants, the Member Secretary will act as the maker and the Chairperson as the checker for the respective Panchayats.

The order has been issued by the Secretary (Panchayati Raj) to the Government of Himachal Pradesh and circulated to all administrative secretaries, heads of departments, deputy commissioners, district development officers, district panchayat officers and block development officers across the state.

Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh told The Indian Express, “From February 1, all powers will vest with the administrators. Whenever the tenure of elected representatives ends and fresh elections are yet to be held, administrators are appointed to run the institutions.”

The minister also said efforts are underway to conduct Panchayat elections before April 30, a deadline set by the Himachal Pradesh High Court earlier this month. The state government had argued that Panchayat elections could not be held due to the enforcement of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, a contention the High Court did not accept.

Meanwhile, BJP’s Thakur said this is the first time in state’s history that the entire Panchayati Raj system will be handed over to government-appointed officials. The powers of elected Panchayat Pradhans would become meaningless, with their official seals and signatures losing all authority.

The senior BJP leader also claimed that more than 30,000 elected representatives would be rendered ineffective, leaving Himachalis without any local-elected representatives and placing them under administrators “imposed” by the government.

The Himachal Pradesh government initially cited the Disaster Management Act to justify the delay and the claim of conducting elections on time had been exposed as false, Thakur alleged. Despite court directions, he said, the State Election Commission has not yet published voter lists for Panchayats, even though January 30 was fixed as the deadline. Thakur urged the government to fulfil its constitutional obligations.

The BJP leader, however, blamed the Sukhu government for undermining the ideals of Panchayati Raj and Gram Swaraj envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi. “A government that moves across the state holding protests and fasts in the name of Mahatma Gandhi is today strangling the very dream of Panchayati Raj and village self-governance that Gandhi himself had envisioned.” Thakur described the situation as a reflection of the government’s “double standards” and alleged that the present dispensation is disconnected from public interest and grassroots concerns.

He said for the past six months the party had been warning that the government was deliberately delaying Panchayat elections — even as the Chief Minister, concerned ministers and the government repeatedly assured the public that elections would be held on time. Thakur asked how the Chief Minister and ministers would now answer the people after failing to honour their assurances on timely elections.