Rural people of Puducherry want elected panchayats, says Kiran Bedi

The committee, headed by former IAS officer Meenakshi Sundaram, had toured widely in rural areas of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam for the last few days.

Puducherry, August 25: People in the rural areas of the Union Territory want elected panchayats, said Lt Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi.

She held discussions with members of a Centre-appointed expert committee on revival of grassroots level democratic institutions in Puducherry.

The committee, headed by former IAS officer Meenakshi Sundaram, had toured widely in rural areas of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam for the last few days.

"My discussions with the committee members revealed that the rural people have expressed an urgent need for grassroots level democracy to self govern," she said.

For want of Panchayat system in Puducherry the rural people are currently experiencing lack of accessibility for redressal of their grievances such as assured sanitation, health and other related amenities, Bedi said.

No funds are coming to rural areas from the Centre as there is no elected Panchayat bodies, she said.

She said that the Centre-appointed expert committee would submit its report to the Panchayati Raj Ministry to unveil an action plan to facilitate elections to restore Panchayat institutions in the Union Territory.

PTI