Chaibasa : Thousand of angry villagers from Pandavir , Barkela and Badalagiya Panchayat led by the Pid Manki Amrit Boipai and Khuntpani Block part 2 Zila Parishad Member Sangi Banra staged a Dharna before deputy commissioner in protest against the merging of three panchayats (Pandavir , Barkela and Badalagiya) of Khutpani block with Sadar Block, on Friday.
The protesters also submitted a memorandum to deputy commissioner which was addressed to the chief Minister demanding immediate cancellation of the merged three panchayats as it was implemented against the will of the villagers, by MLA Deepak Birua .
According to the memorandum, the Gram Sabha opposed the decision of Deepak Birua and the elected public representatives of three panchayat when they held a meeting with the then Zila Parishad chairperson Anita Sumbrai and it was decided unanimously not to merge the three panchayats in Sadar Block.
But MLA Deepak Birua keeping in mind his personal interest recommended the then Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the three panchayat were merged by him. ‘We strongly oppose the MLAs recommendation as he sabotaged the rights of Gram Sabha and Manki Munda.
We vehemently condemn the decision of Sadar MLA as he took anti-panchayat action’, said a protester. Khuntpani is scheduled tribe dominated block and separating the three panchayats he was deprived the villagers of scheduled tribal facilities for generation.
The deputy commissioner assured the villagers that the memorandum would be forwarded to the secretary of Panchayat Rajya, Jharkhand government for further necessary action.