The stir of Zila Panchayat and Kshetra Panchayat members being launched against the Centre in Pauri entered its fifth day on Monday. They have been protesting against the Centre’s decision to stop funding of Zila and Kshetra Panchayat. The protestors staged a sit-in near the collectorate premises near the statue of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna and shouted slogans against the Centre. As part of the stir, the agitators locked the Zila Panchayat office at district headquarters and block headquarters. They warned that the offices would remain locked till Tuesday. later, the Zila Panchayat president Deepti Rawat along with others submitted a memorandum to the Uttarakhand Governor through the office of the district magistrate Chandra Sekhar Bhatt.
Rawat said that the members of the Zila Panchayat and Kshetra Panchayat are aggrieved over the Centre’s decision to stop the central funding to the two important segments of the panchayats. “This is a dangerous step meant to stifle the life of the rural representative democracy. We would continue with the stir till the Centre is forced to revoke its pernicious decision,” she said.
She further said their stir would intensify further in the coming days. “Now, the agitation, in its primary phase, is confined within the district. Things would spread outside the district following the January 13 meeting of the panchayat members in Dehradun. If things so warrant we would take the stir to Delhi as well. This is a must, for unless we do it the Centre would smoother the development of the rural areas by its arbitrary fiats,” she said.
Rawat said that before the Centre decided to enforce the act, Zila Panchayat had been given central funding to the tune of `4 crore and Kshetra Panchayat `1.50 crore in Pauri district. “But now things are grim with the Centre having decided to stop funding to the two important segments of the rural representative edifice. Development would come to a standstill if things are not reversed,” she said, adding that they would request Uttarakhand Chief Minister to raise funding for the panchayat to ensure development of the rural areas does not get crippled under these changed circumstances.