TIRUPATTUR: The councillor of the 4th ward in Periyankuppam panchayat in Tirupattur staged a protest by locking the office on Tuesday demanding the higher officials immediately recruit a panchayat secretary. According to K Kumari Kumar, the ward councillor, ever since the former panchayat secretary was transferred nine months ago, the officials have not taken any steps to fill the post.
Periyankuppam of Tirupattur falls under the jurisdiction of Madhanur block and is the largest panchayat in the district with 12 wards. Speaking to the reporters, K Kumari Kumar said due to the absence of a panchayat secretary, the office work has come to a standstill.
“I have spent around Rs 41,000 for various works completed in my ward and even though the bills have been submitted, the reimburse amount has not been received yet. When inquired about the delay, it is being informed that due to the absence of a panchayat secretary, the requests are not reaching the block development officer. Moreover, there is no proper response from the panchayat president.”
The deputy block development officer (BDO) told TNIE, “We initiated the process of appointing a new panchayat secretary soon after the earlier officer got transferred. However, since Periyankuppam is the largest panchayat of the district, we have encountered difficulties in finding willing and eligible candidates to serve here.” He further said, “It has only been a month since the BDO assumed his role and he is working on appointing a panchayat secretary.” The ward councillor called off her protest as the deputy BDO and police officials assured her that the issue would be resolved soon.