CHENNAI: Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru on Wednesday told the Assembly that the government will consider the complaints relating to the merger of village panchayats with the nearby urban local bodies.
During the question hour, former minister KA Sengottaiyan asked about the ongoing agitations in many places objecting to the merger of village panchayats with the neighbouring urban local bodies and whether the government would come forward to resolve this issue.
Responding, Nehru said there are over 12,000 village panchayats and of them, only 371 have been merged with the urban local bodies. “ The areas which have no agricultural land and urban characteristics alone have been merged with urban local bodies, he said.
“People object as they fear losing the MNREGA scheme. If the people lodge complaints about the problems they face due to the merger within 120 days through their respective district collectors, the government will consider them and a decision will be taken in consultation with the Chief Minister,” he added.