With the five-year tenure of elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) ending today, the state government has appointed administrators to run gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads across the state.
Elections to reconstitute the PRIs could not be held within the stipulated time as the government had imposed the Disaster Management Act. In accordance with Section 140(3)(b) of the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, the government has constituted committees to exercise all powers and perform all functions of the PRIs until fresh elections are conducted.
For gram panchayats, a two-member committee has been formed, with the Block Development Officer (BDO) as chairperson and the panchayat secretary as member secretary.
For payments related to Central Finance Commission grants, the member secretary will act as the ‘maker’, while the chairperson will function as the ‘checker’ for the respective gram panchayats.
A three-member committee has been constituted for panchayat samitis. It comprises the chief executive officer, panchayat samiti, as chairperson, the Social Education and Block Planning Officer as member, and the panchayat inspector or sub-inspector as member secretary.
Similarly, for zila parishads, the chief executive officer, zila parishad, will serve as the chairperson of the three-member committee. The District Development Officer will be a member, while the District Panchayat Officer will function as the member secretary.
Meanwhile, the high court has directed the authorities to conduct PRI elections before April 30. The term of gram panchayats and panchayat samitis in the Keylong subdivision, Zila Parishad Lahaul-Spiti, gram panchayats and panchayat samitis in Pangi subdivision, and four gram panchayats of Kullu district is yet to expire.
