United Democratic Front (UDF) councillors in local bodies, including municipalities, will stage a protest here on Tuesday against the State government’s alleged anti-local self-government stand. The protestors will sit in dharna in front of the district collectorate.
The UDF alleged that the government was trying to strangulate local bodies not only by denying enough funds, but also by wresting their powers and imposing heavy burden on them.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) district general secretary U.A. Latheef, MLA, and District Congress Committee (DCC) president V.S. Joy called upon UDF councillors of civic bodies in the district to take part in the dharna. They said even when the development needs increased over the years, the government was slashing grants instead of boosting Plan funds.
The Malappuram District Panchayat had earmarked ₹34 crore for rural road renovation in the 2021-22 budget. However, it shrank to a nominal ₹6 crore in the 2022-23 budget, the front said.
The government has asked local bodies to keep aside ₹35,000 per head for the protection of the most poor families. If a panchayat has 100 such families with a minimum of two members in each, it will have to keep aside ₹70 lakh for the purpose. UDF councillors said that it would be an uphill task after earmarking funds for the LIFE Housing programme, anganwadis, and other mandatory programmes. “There will be no funds with local bodies to respond positively to people’s demands,” they said.
The councillors alleged that the government was treating local bodies as agencies of the State’s programmes. Citing the kidney patients welfare scheme as an example, they said the government had made it hard for local bodies by imposing impractical conditions.
