Gram sabhas are often touted as the building blocks of democracy that make India what it is. But, 25 years since the 73rd amendment was passed in Parliament in 1993, these sabhas in Tamil Nadu still languish without adequate powers.
The Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act passed in 1994 in the State Assembly too does not spell out clearly the powers vested with these sabhas. The decisions these sabhas take even on sensitive issues relating to environment and livelihood are more often than not ignored. “Many gram sabhas passed resolutions against the opening of Tasmac liquor shops in their villages, but the State government still managed to open shops. Where is democracy here?” questions former legislator and CPI (M) leader K. Balabharathi. There is a need for a study as to the existing role of the gram sabhas and how they can be strengthened, she says, adding that the delay in local body polls has only weakened the institution further.
Para-statal agencies and various boards of the State government have more powers to overrule the decisions of the gram sabhas. For instance, a gram sabha’s objection to a wastewater treatment plant within the village doesn’t count if the project is cleared by the pollution control board.
Economist and professor Venkatesh Athreya concurs that the gram sabhas have not been given enough powers.
Professor G. Palanithurai of the Department of Political Science in Gandhigram Rural Institute, however, remains an optimist. If representatives of gram sabhas are trained and if they function effectively, they can play a pivotal role in bringing about participatory democracy, he contends. To support his argument, he cites a case in Goa where a gram sabha in a fishing hamlet passed a resolution against the opening of a unit of an MNC. The sabha went on to win a legal battle in the Supreme Court.
He also contends that the gram sabhas have immensely helped in empowering women and Dalits in the State.
