Haryana Governor asks Mayors to work for the people

Chandigarh, Dec 9 (UNI) Haryana Governor A R Kidwai has called upon the Mayors to take a lead in adopting modern trends and implementating e-governance for improving the lifestyle of the people.

Presiding over the All India Mayors Conference on the concluding day here today, he said that Mayors should set an example for others to cope up effectively with the problems of climate change, shortage of water, electricity, sanitation etc.

They should not only perform the duty of receiving or seeing off the dignitaries or attending the functions but guide others for improvement, he added.

The Governor said that the rootd of democracy lie at gross root level with the Panchayats, Zila Parishad and Municipal Councils and these bodies should be strengthened. He said that under the 74 th Constitutional Amendment, 29 items of Administration were to be shifted to local bodies but the progress, in this regard, had not been very satisfactory.

He opined that with the empowerment of local bodies there will be transformation in the lives of the people of rural areas.

Dr Kidwai called upon people to take the initiative to snatch power of good governance from government officials who do not want to share it with others. He said people would have to accept the challenge because they cannot no longer depend upon government servants like Block Development Officers for implementing programmes formulated for their welfare.

Citing an example of Mewat in Haryana, he said that pace of development in that area was very slow, but now grassroot level committees had been formed for taking decisions. There was great improvement in Mewat in the last one year after the formation of these committees, he added.

Others who were present on the occasion included James David Burty, Minister of Local Bodies of Mauritius, Mrs Harjinder Kaur, Mayor of Chandigarh and Ms Kiran Chadha, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Women and Child.

UNI