Ensure no male proxy for women panches, staff told

Parveen Arora

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Kaithal, December 5

Amid reports of husbands and other male members of families taking the oath of office instead of newly elected women panchayat representatives, the Kaithal administration has directed Block Development and Panchayat Officers (BDPOs) and the District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) to ensure no proxy attended any official meeting.

Issue reported in some villages

Such an issue was reported in Geong and Chandlana villages. But, the officials on duty took timely remedial steps. I have asked the DDPO and the BDPOs to ensure no proxy is allowed and only elected women representatives attend official meetings. Sangeeta Tetarwal, Deputy Commissioner

The representatives of panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) were administered the oath across the state on November 27 by holding gram sabha meetings in villages. At Geong village in Kaithal, the husband of the sarpanch allegedly flouted norms by taking the oath along with his wife. The family members of a couple of panches did the same, a violation repeated at Chandlana village too. The officials concerned, however, claimed to have “rectified the flaw by making the women representatives take the oath within hours”.

“Such an issue was reported in Geong and Chandlana villages. But, the officials on duty took timely remedial steps. I have asked the District Development and Panchayat Officer and the Block Development and Panchayat Officers to ensure no proxy is allowed and only elected women representatives attend official meetings,” said Deputy Commissioner Sangeeta Tetarwal.

The Deputy Commissioner said they would launch a drive to make women representatives aware about their rights. “The district administration will extend all support to the newly elected panchayat members to ensure development at the grassroots,” said Tetarwal.