‘Most non-performing panchayats controlled by Left Front’

To execute development projects in areas under the non-performing panchayats,block development officers have been asked to take special care.

According to Mukherjee,most of the non-performing panchayats are controlled by the Left Front. “They are not performing because of political reasons. Therefore,we have adopted a policy of punishing these panchayats. Instead of providing them with funds,concerned BDOs have been financially empowered to execute development works in the non-performing panchayat areas. To encourage the performing panchayats,we are awarding them and providing them with more funds,” Mukherjee said.

According to a state panchayat department official,most of the non-performing panchayats are located in North 24-Parganas,Burdwan,Hooghly and some other south Bengal districts. “There is legal provision to financially empower the block development officers to ensure that development works do not come to a halt because of political reasons. There should not be any controversy on this issue,” Mukherjee said when asked to comment on the Left Front’s allegation that the panchayat system is getting ruined in the Trinamool regime.

The Left Front leaders have alleged that the Trinamool is out to curtail the power of Left Front-controlled rural bodies out of jealousy. In a television interview on Sunday,former chief minister and CPM politburo member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee alleged that panchayat pradhans in some areas were not being allowed to go to panchayats. The ruling party is either applying muscle power or is issuing orders to dismantle the Left-controlled boards in the panchayat system,he said.

Countering the charges,Mukherjee said many of those panchayats which were awarded by the state government are under the control of the Left Front.

“Therefore,the question of dissolving the panchayat boards or applying muscle power to break those bodies does not arise,the panchayat minister said.