BHOPAL : The protest demonstration of Panchayat office-bearers on Wednesday is in jeopardy following the district administration withdrawing the permission to hold the event at TT Nagar Dussehra Maidan at the last moment.
Association president DP Dhakad said, “Our application was pending from October 20 before administration. Today morning, we were informed that permission has been granted but by the evening, we were informed that permission has been cancelled.”
“The administration has cancelled the permission at the eleventh hour. The city borders have been sealed from all sides to prevent our supporters from reaching Bhopal. But will fight back,” Dakad added.
Collector Nishant Warbade said, “They had applied for permission for demonstration at TT Nagar Dusshera Maidan, which we refused and offered them to choose between Shahjahani Park and Jamboori Maidan (BHEL). But so far, no application has been received.”
Panchayat office-bearers want implementation of Panchayati Raj Act 1992. Meanwhile, BJP has suspended Abhay Mishra, chairman of District Panchayat, Rewa from the primary membership of the party for six years. BJP state chief Nand Kumar Chauhan has said that action would be taken against all BJP leaders who join the agitation.
Earlier, CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan had met representatives of the Panchayat office-bearers and had assured them of status of Minister of State (MoS) and the authority to use red beacons.
The Panchayat Representatives Association general secretary Munitra Tiwari said, “Panchayat people’s representatives have arrived in Bhopal to join the mammoth agitation on Wednesday.
We are not demanding a single paisa. We are just demanding implementation of the Panchayats Act 1992 as has been done in many states.”
Presently, a Sarpanch cannot even get a tubewell sunk in his village. What will he say to the people who have elected him? We want powers and not money from the state government, Tiwari said, adding, “There are 23,000 Sarpanchs in the state. They all will join us on Wednesday.”
