Budget session of Legislative assembly
Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Mar 2: Panchayat elections in Arunachal Pradesh, which has been long overdue, will soon be held on party basis, the state assembly was informed on Monday.
On the opening day of the budget session of the 7th Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Panchayati Raj Minister Bamang Felix informed the house that the structure of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system has been changed to a two-tier one, leaving out the Anchal Samiti.
Responding to a short-duration discussion raised by Congress member Ninong Ering on “no party system for panchayat election”, Felix said the government has decided to conduct the polls on party basis.
The minister said the state government has already informed the State Election Commission to issue notification for holding Panchayat polls in the state soon.
Since the delimitation process of new districts and the electoral roll revision exercise have been completed, the government is ready to conduct the rural polls pending for a year due to change in the structure of the Panchayati Raj system, Felix said.
The change in structure meant doing away with the Anchal Samiti, the intermediate level of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system, to set up a two-tier system, involving Gram Panchayats and Zilla Parishads.
Earlier, Ering, supporting for a no-party election in the panchayat, said that it will give more power to the people and also produce good leaders.
Most of the members opposed the idea and sought no change in the existing system.
Felix also introduced the Arunachal Pradesh Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Bill 2020 in the Assembly, while Women and Child Development Minister Alo Libang laid the report of the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women for the year 2016-2017 and 2017- 2018 in the house.
MLA Kento Jini withdrew the private member resolution for compulsory implementation of lower kindergarten and upper kindergarten in every government school of the state.
State’s Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who also holds the Finance portfolio, is likely to present the Budget estimates for the fiscal year 2020-21 on Wednesday.
Railway projects:
The railway authority is unable to make progress in implementation of the railway projects in Arunachal due to delay in land acquisition, forest and wildlife clearance. This was informed by the state transport minister Nakap Nalo in a written response.
Responding to the question raised by Wanglin Lowangdong about railway connectivity in the state, the minister informed that new BG lines from Harmuty to Naharlagun (21.75 km) and from Murkongselek to Pasighat (26.15 km) were announced by the union railway ministry. However, the railway authority in a communiqué on 15 June, 2019 had stated that ‘due to delay in land acquisition process, forestry and wildlife clearance, no progress could be made in project implementation,’ the transport minister informed.
Following the letter of the state government, dated 20 September, 2019, to speed up land acquisition process and forest and wild life clearance, the PCCF had written to the Pasighat Forest division DFO for early clearance; “but the government has not yet received any feedback from the PCCF,” the minister said in a written reply.
He further informed that East Siang deputy commissioner has also been written to on 20 September, 2019 to expedite the process of land acquisition, forest and wildlife clearance, shifting of utilities etc at the earliest, but the government has not received any feedback from the East Siang DC.
Responding to another question of Lowangdong regarding the status of the Margherita to Deomali and Deomali to Naharkatia railway lines, the minister informed that the state government did not receive any progress report on Deomali-Naharkatia railway lines officially from the railway authorities. However, the minister said, the state government will take up the railway project with the central government at the earliest.
Advance landing ground:
Responding to a question of MLA Tarin Dakpe, the minister concerned informed that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had earlier proposed to operationalise the existing advance landing ground (ALG) at Daporijo ‘which did not materialize due to non-availability of required additional land of 34.3 acres.’ However, the Upper Subansiri deputy commissioner has been asked to explore a suitable alternate location for further examination about initiating a proposal to the Union Defence Ministry for establishment of an ALG at Daporijo, Upper Subansiri.
National Highway:
The state government informed in the assembly that the union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways accorded in-principle approval for the proposed national highway from Mebi Geko to Gerukamukh/ Dollungmukh.
Responding to the question of MLA Rode Bui, the chief minister informed that the detailed project report for the proposed highway was stopped due to non-approval of fund by the MoRTH. (With PTI inputs)
Quotes of the day
1. Capital mein har mata pita ko jo pani milta hain woh gaon se aata hain: Itanagar MLA Techi Kaso.
2. Why has forest clearance (regarding Hukanjuri-Khonsa HN 315 A) been taking such a long time?: Wanglin Lowangdong
3. Election ek prakar ka shakti pradarshan hain: Nyato Rigia during short duration discussion on ‘No party system for Panchayat election’.
