Alappuzha district panchayat president U. Pratibha Hari is wary of the government’s prevailing attitude towards local self-governments (LSG).
Much more could have been done with an LSG-friendly system at the top, she told The Hindu recently.
Flawed approach
“Decentralisation is suffering from a Big Brother attitude of the government. A flawed approach is adopted by the coordination committee on local self- government, consisting of three Ministers. Many of the officials at the State-level too have an authoritarian approach, hindering devolution of powers. They want us to be servile,” she said.
The advocate-turned political activist, who won from Veliyanad division to the district panchayat, has completed 15 years of service in panchayats. She represented a ward for five years, went on to become president of the Thakazhy grama panchayat for another five years before taking on the mantle of the district panchayat in 2010.
Several novel projects initiated by the Alappuzha district panchayat had to be abruptly stopped because of lack of governmental support.
A model farm at Mavelikara and a social welfare scheme called Niyogam, to help children of victims of accidents, are among the projects crippled by insensitive handling of the government machinery.
“Housing can be taken up in an effective way at the panchayat level. But the Indira Awaz Yojna needs nod of five authorities. As president of the Thakazhy panchayat, I could complete 172 houses,” she says.
Fag end of the tenure
Nevertheless, she exuded satisfaction at the fag end of her tenure, having executed several imaginative projects.
A palliative care scheme, widening of green cover under the Udyana Lakshmi, cleaning up of canals, and a high-tech library are among them.
Trophy for best performance was won in 2012, she recalled.
