Sarpanches of Hisar district stage protest against e-tendering of panchayat works

Hisar, January 10

To press for their demand for the withdrawal of the e-tendering process in carrying out development works in the villages, the newly elected sarpanches of a number of villages in Hisar district staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office here today.

The sarpanches will hold a state-level meeting at Tohana, home town of the Development and Panchayat Minister in Fatehabad district, on January 15. “We serve an ultimatum to the government to withdraw this new provision, otherwise we may give a call for the boycott of government functionaries,” they said.

Nar Singh Duhan, president of the sarpanch association of Hisar district, said they were not satisfied with the process of e-tendering for carrying out works. The works that were carried out through this process in the past two years were of very poor quality as the sarpanches had no control over the contractors who took the tender of works from the government departments. Substandard material was used in the construction works and there was nobody accountable for it,” Duhan added.

“We will not retract from our stand as the process of e-tendering is nothing but a way out to allot works to the contractors who are close to the authorities and want to make a cut in the development grants,” the sarpanch association president alleged.

The sarpanch was accountable to the villagers. “But after the introduction of e-tenders, the sarpanches will have little role in getting the work done. If the contractor uses substandard material, how can a sarpanch stop him as he will be directly accountable to the government department?” said another sarpanch Shamsher.

Development and Panchayat Minister Devender Babli had drawn the flak of the sarpanches during his recent visits to villages on the issue. However, the minister said those sapranches who favoured embezzlement of funds and usurping government grants were opposing the government’s move.