Assam has 54 landless Gaon panchayats (GPs)

 319 GPs with ramshackle offices

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The public has to knock on the doors of their respective gaon panchayat offices in villages first for any sort of developmental work under the Panchayat and Rural Development (P&RD) Department. However, as many as 54 gaon panchayats in the state have no land, leading them to officiate in rented houses or in offices of other departments. The own buildings of 319 gaon panchayats, on the other hand, are ramshackle structures.

According to official sources, the state has 2,197 gaon panchayats in 27 districts. The districts under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India do not have gaon panchayats.

According to P&RD sources, 54 gaon panchayats in ten districts in the state have no land of their own. The district-wise breakup of gaon panchayats without own lands is 15 in Dhubri; 13 in Cachar; seven in Kamrup; four each in Charaideo, Nalbari, and Barpeta; three in Goalpara; two in Bajali; and one each in Dibrugarh and Darrang.

The seven gaon panchayats in the Kamrup district without own lands are Bhouriabhitha under Goroimari Development Block, Bamunbori under Chamaria Development Block, Podum Kuwari under Rangia Development Block, Bamunigaon under Chaygaon Development Block, Chaygaon under Chaygaon Development Block, Pachim Chaygaon under Chaygaon Development Block, and Nagaon under Bihdia Development Block.

According to departmental sources, the P&RD Department will take up the issue of providing land to the landless GPs with the Revenue and Disaster Management Department.

Among the 319 GPs with ramshackle offices, the worst are in the Golaghat district, which has as many as 57 such gaon panchayat offices, closely followed by the Nagaon district with 52 dilapidated GP offices. The other ramshackle GP offices are two in Bajali, five in Barpeta, 21 in Biswanath, 26 in Cachar, 14 in Charaideo, four in Darrang, 26 in Dhubri, nine in Goalpara, 29 in Kamrup, 22 in Karimganj, five in Hailakandi, 14 in Lakhimpur, 13 in Majuli, and 20 in Nalbari.

Since GP offices play an important role in rural development, will the government take the issue seriously?

Also Read: 51 piped water supply schemes handed over to gaon panchayats in Tinsukia

Also Watch: