Residents corner officials in Tirupattur gram sabha meets

TIRUPATTUR: Gram Sabha meetings mostly serve as a forum for residents to seek required amenities, review the status of ongoing projects besides audit of local bodies expenditure during which elected representatives can be held accountable.

Many a times, these gram sabha meetings pose a tough time for both officials and village panchayat presidents answering questions. The gram sabha held at Jaffrabad near Vaniyambadi on Sunday, Gandhi Jayanti, witnessed similar scenes and it was stopped midway as residents demanded to know why only three of the seven streets were tar coated and what happened to the funds for the remaining four streets. They also stated that none of the resolutions passed in the earlier gram sabha meet were implemented.

Residents also complained about various issues in the 100-day work scheme and demanded the shifting of the panchayat secretary on grounds of various allegations.

At Poonkulam village panchayat near Alangayam in the same district, numerous questions raised by locals resulted in the president ordering that no questions be raised and that facts as stated be accepted. This immediately set off another argument on whether the president was empowered to order such an embargo.

At Periyankuppam near Ambur, officials and village panchayat elected representatives were besieged by locals, who demanded proper accounts for the funds collected for the Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme which resulted in the proceedings getting paused for some time.

“When officials or the panchayat president are unable to answer tough questions raised by the public their usual recourse is to order silence and not to take questions,” Loganathan of Periyankuppan said.