Karnataka: No panel to monitor panchayats

Madikeri, Karnataka, Oct 23: Former Minister and Congress Observer B K Chandrashekar said the State Government's move to form Rural Development Committees to monitor gram panchayaths was wrong as it would trim the power of elected representatives.

Addressing the press here last evening, he said though the move was intended to check corruption, the government should adopt other means to curb it.

He took objection to the statements by Panchayath Raj Minister Shobha Karandlaje on the issue and said she should think of other methods to check corruption.

Mr Chndrashekar said he advised the government to fill the vacant posts of secretaries first and do technical arrangements at cluster level.

On the issue of conversions, he said the government had not given exact numbers of the people who converted and was making a mountain out of a molehill.

UNI