Himachal govt constitutes committees to run panchayats, zila parishads until fresh elections

Following the expiration of the tenures of most of the existing elected Panchayati Raj institutions in the state, the Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday constituted committees to run gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads until fresh elections are conducted. A notification regarding the dissolution and appointment of committees was issued by the Department of Panchayati Raj on Saturday. The notification states that elections to reconstitute gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads could not be conducted in the state due to the enforcement of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. ''As a result, the elected bodies have been deemed dissolved under Sections 120 and 128 of the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1994,'' read the notification. Block development officer (BDO) will serve as the chairperson of the committee constituted for gram panchayats, while panchayat secretary will serve as the member secretary of the committee. Similarly, chief executive officer of panchayat samiti has been appointed as the chairperson, while social education and block planning officer will be the member of the committee and panchayat inspector or sub inspector will be the member secretary of the committee. For zila parishad committee, chief executive officer zila parishad will be the chairperson, district development officer will be the member and district panchayat officer will be the member secretary.