The Chatra Panchayat Khirsu meeting was held in the meeting hall of the block development office in Khirsu on Thursday with the members crying foul of development remaining out of bounds for the people at large.
The block Pramukh Sushma Negi presided and assured that steps would be taken to redress the members’ grievances on several fronts. Block development officer Dhaneshwari Negi presented the proceeding of the last meeting and the discussion was carried out over the work of different departments.
The members raised issues of health, education, roads, electricity, drinking water, pension and the like while alleging that the departments concerned remain apathetic towards the problems the people of Khirsu block have been facing.
Chatra Panchayat member Sampat Singh alleged that the work conducted in the block under the aegis of the state finance commission had been done without taking the house on board and things were distributed in a partisan manner. The members said they were neither being taken into confidence in the distribution of schemes nor the estimation was being placed before the committee concerned. Block Pramukh Sushma Negi assured the house that the meeting of planning committee would be convened in a fortnight.
The members raised the issue of shortage of teachers in the schools, low-voltage, erratic payment of pension, irregularity in paying compensation to the farmers affected by the recent spells of unseasonal rains and several others. District development officer Ved Prakash, block development officer, district level officer of departments, gram pradhan and block panchayat members were among those present in the block committee meeting.