Balangir residents file PIL in Orissa HC against order of empowering sarpanchs with 'powers of Collector'

The petition has contended that a graduation degree should be a parameter for becoming a sarpanch. At present, there is no educational qualification eligibility criterion. 
Orissa High Court
Orissa High Court

Two residents of Balangir district have filed in the Orissa High Court a PIL seeking quashing of the State Government’s April 19 order empowering sarpanchs with the ‘powers of a Collector’ to decentralise the battle against Covid-19 pandemic.

The petition has contended that a graduation degree should be a parameter for becoming a sarpanch. At present, there is no educational qualification eligibility criterion. 

The sarpanchs were empowered under Section-51 of Disaster Management Act, 2005 and Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. It was aimed to help manage quarantine centres meant for migrant returnees. Such provisions are also listed under Section 44 (1) of Odisha Gram Panchayat Act, 1964 following the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act. It allows the gram panchayats within the limit of its funds to undertake, control, administer and be responsible for ‘preventing and checking the spread of epidemic or infectious and other dangerous diseases’.

Ardhendhu Narayana Behera of Bongamunda and Satrughan Naik of Khaprakhol filed the PIL through advocate Ashis Mishra on Friday. The PIL hinges on the incident of unlawful demolition drive carried out by a lady sarpanch which had rendered five tribal families homeless in the district on August 11. “The incident occurred only for delegation of power to uneducated and illiterate persons without any administrative training prior to the notification,” the petition said.The petition has not been listed for hearing so far.
 

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