Pondy govt initiates steps to hold local body elections

The local administration department of the UT government released an advertisement in newspapers on July 8 seeking applications from eligible persons to be appointed as the State Election Commissioner to conduct the local body elections.

Reacting to this, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi in a WhatsApp message said, “Finally Puducherry is on the road for Panchayat election not held since 2011.”

In the last eight years, 96 villages could not get funds that would be sanctioned by the Central Government in the absence of elected village panchayats. The grassroot democracy was now hopefully returning to Puducherry after eight years. Since then a lot of changes have happened in rural Puducherry, the Lt Governor said women have been hyper-active workers and there were several activists, NGOs and individuals fighting for their cause, she said.

“It is an opportunity for active citizens, both in rural and urban areas, now to step forward and nurture grass root democracy”, the Lt Governor said and urged them to take responsibility and provide new energy all around for a prosperous Puducherry.

The citizens could lead augmentation of several facilities like sanitation, water harvesting, check alcoholism etc adding that the local body poll was an opportunity for a new generation of social leadership by active and conscientious citizenship.