Elected members bunk vigilance panel meetings

The committee was set up under the Act to monitor and implement the various sections of the law. The law,which has been in place for protection of the socially-backward segments of society,mandates for the setting up of the committee.

To be headed by the district collector,this committee also involves,the SP,three group A offices / gazetted officers of the state government belonging to the scheduled caste and the scheduled tribes,not more than five non-official members belonging to the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes and elected representatives of Parliament and Assembly.

While the district collector is supposed to be president of the committee,the district social welfare officer is the member secretary. The committee is mandated to meet once every three months. The minutes of the meeting for the last two years show that the committee met 19 times in the last two years. In none of the meetings were any of the elected representatives present although majority of the officials were present for the meetings. Of the 19 meetings,the district collector was present for 14 of them. Senior officials from the police and the Zilla Parishad were also present for the meetings.

Senior officials from the department of social welfare said that many a time elected representatives were duly informed for the meetings. Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe refuted the charges and stated that she or any other elected representatives had never received any intimation.

“If the MLAs and MLCs can be present for the meetings called by the district collector,what would prevent us from doing the same for this important issue?” she said. Blaming the social welfare department for its failure to work in tandem,she stated that proper conscientious action has to be taken for making this law a success.

NCP MLC Jaideo Gaikwad said he has been an MLC since last year but he has not received any invitation for the meetings. “As I am myself from the committee I should be invited but I have not received any such invitation,” he said.