ADCs and Zilla Parishads demand completion of transfer of DRDA
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network

Imphal, February 18 2011: A joint body consisting of members of Autonomous District Councils (ADC) and Zilla Parishad of Manipur has appealed to the government of Manipur to sternly enforce its earlier order of transferring the power vested in District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) to the local bodies by divesting it from deputy commissioners (DCs).

An order by the Governor of Manipur dated November 18, 2010, said that DRDAs of the five hill districts has been transferred to their respective ADCs and that the chairmanship of the five DRDAs will be vested in the chairmen of the ADCs.

With regard to DRDA of Senapti district, the chairmen of ADCs of Senapati and Kangpokpi shall be co-chairmen for the DRDA Senapati while in the four valley districts, Adhyakshas of Zilla Parishads will continue as chairmen of their respective DRDAs, it said.

It is noteworthy here that the chairmanships of DRDAs had earlier been vested in the deputy collectors/commissioners of the districts before the order of the governor stated otherwise.

Interestingly, some civil organizations are against the transfer order of the Governor and have been demanding for the order to be reverted back to the previous institution of DCs overseeing DRDAs.

For instance, All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) has been demanding for the revocation of the State cabinet decision of posting senior Manipur Civil Service officer as executive director of DRDA without due consultation with Hill Areas Committee of the State assembly.

It has termed the cabinet decision as devoid of any "rationality and justification" and has demanded for reverting back to the earlier way wherein the concerned deputy commissioner of the district was the executive director as prescribed under the Central guidelines.

But now, the convener of the joint group of ADCs and Zilla Parashad, Sh Seipu, ADC chairman of Sadar Hills, Senapati district, has alleged that the deputy commissioners are focusing gratuitously in the grass root administrations rather than focusing on general administration like law and order.

Briefing media persons at Hotel Imphal after a joint meeting of members of ADCs and Zilla Parishads, he said that while DCs of Thoubal, Bishnupur and Chandel districts had handed over full functions of DRDAs to the Executive Directors (ED)�senior MCS officers�for the development of the districts which will be under the ADCs and Zilla Parishads of the respective districts, DCs of Senapati, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Imphal East and Imphal West have allegedly refused to let go of the responsibility.

This attitude of the DCs may be construed as taking excessive interest in funds and schemes of DRDAs rather than administering the districts, Seipu alleged, adding that the delay in the transfer of the responsibility of DRDAs from DCs to ADCs and Zilla Parishads has arrested development at the grass root levels of the districts in the State.

The resolutions adopted at the joint meeting of ADCs and Zilla Parishads will be presented to the chief minister as and when he returns from his sojourn in Delhi, Seipu said, adding that if the government refused to respond positively and to complete the transfer of the functional power of DRDAs to the local bodies compliant with the Governor order, the joint group will launched unexpected forms of agitation in the future.

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