Local Bodies representatives will have to wait

Puducherry, Dec 1 (UNI) It seems that the elected representatives to local bodies in the union territory of Puducherry will have to wait for another six months to get their problems, including devolution of powers, solved.

After a gap of 38 years, the local body elections were conducted here in three phases of June 24,27 and July 1. Candidates contested the elections with much expectations and to their dismay, even four months after the election,they are yet to get due powers to them.

When the elected representatives approached the Chief Minister, they were told that the Puducherry Municipality and Commune Panchayat Act will have to be amended to devolve powers to them which would be done in a cabinet meeting forthwith. However, the said cabinet meeting never materialised.

Agitated over this, the elected representatives had organised a series of agitations, including 'road roko' and had even observed a day's fast along with PMK Parliamentary party leader Prof M Ramadass who is championing their cause. They have even called for a 12-hour Bandh here on December 12. Even after this when the government failed to take any steps for the devolution of powers and Ramadass had threatened to take up the matter with Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi.

Meanwhile, a full-fledged cabinet met here last night for four hours in which the issue was discussed and decided to amend the Municipality and Panchayat Act to devolve powers to the elected representatives after placing it in the assembly.

The budget session of the territorial assembly ended on September 1. It is customary that the session must be convened once in six months, ie, the next session will be only in March next year. If a special session of the assembly was not summoned to amend the Municipality and Panchayat Act, the elected representatives of the local bodies will have to wait for another six months to get their dreams fullfilled.

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