Bista seeks repeal of law for 3-tier polls

AVIJIT SINHA, TT, 22 Nov 2019, Siliguri: Darjeeling MP Raju Bista has requested the Centre to amend the Constitution to reintroduce the three-tier panchayat system in the hills.

The BJP MP met Union minister of rural development Narendra Singh Tomar in Delhi on Wednesday and placed the plea before him.

With the launch of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, the Constitution was amended in 1988 to do away with the zilla parishad in the hills. As per Article 243M (3), only panchayat samitis and gram panchayats were allowed in the hills.

However, Subash Ghisingh's GNLF, whose writ ran in the hills then, even objected to the panchayat samitis as the party thought even they would override the powers of the DGHC. Hence, only elections to the gram panchayats were held.

"Since 1988, three-tier ru- ral elections were not held in the hilly areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. The three-tier system would help the residents to avail themselves of the benefits of governance at the grassroots. To ensure that necessary amendment is made in the Constitution and the polls are held, I approached the Union minister," Bista said in a statement.

He claimed that Tomar had assured him that a meeting would be convened soon to discuss whether the repeal of Article 243M (3) was necessary to pave the way for the three-tier panchayats in the hills.

Elections to the gram panchayats were last held in the hills in 2000 and the bodies' terms expired five years later. No polls have been held since then because of the fluid political situation in the hills..