Children from
five villages air their grievances at gram sabha
HAROHALLI (MYSORE DISTRICT): Over 400 children from
the five villages that come under the Harohalli Gram Panchayat limits
participated in the “Makkala Vishesha Grama Sabha” (children’s
special gram sabha) in Harohalli village on Sunday and demanded
immediate intervention of officials concerned in redressing their
grievances.
By successfully listing out problems being faced by
children, especially those living in rural areas, these children
became a role model for their counterpart in other parts of the
district.
The panchayat organised the gram sabha to comply
with an order issued by the Ministry of Rural Development and
Panchayat Raj which makes it mandatory for all panchayats to provide
an opportunity for children to articulate their issues directly with
elected representatives and emphasises the need for panchayats to
report back on the action taken regarding the issues raised by
children.
The children, guided by the non-governmental
organisations Child’s Rights Trust (CRT) and the Concerned for
Working Children, had made all efforts to make the gram sabha a grand
success.
Five groups
Five groups of children had visited all households
in the villages and listed out problems being faced by people. They
had classified the issues into various categories before preparing
the agenda for the gram sabha.
On Sunday morning, they took out a procession in
Harohalli carrying placards with messages about child rights.
The gram sabha started with the rendition of “Ashaya
geete” by a group of children.
The meeting was chaired by president of the gram
panchayat Rachaiah.
He said it was important that the State Government
conduct capacity building programmes to equip panchayats and
officials and all civil society groups which would be engaged in
ensuring that the children’s gram sabhas realised their full
potential.
Education Officer of the Mysore Taluk Panchayat
Shadaksharaswamy, Block Education Officer Purushottam, Medical
Officer of the Primary Health Centre Ravi Kumar and members and
officials of the gram panchayat heard the grievances of the children.
Delivering the keynote address, Deputy Director of
Abdul Nazir Sab State Institute of Rural Development (ANSSIRD) B.K.
Basavaraj detailed the need and importance of conducting such gram
sabhas.
The children raised issues such as problem of
drinking water and lack of sanitation facilities in their villages.
They also brought to the notice of the authorities
issues such as child marriage and child labour that were prevalent in
the villages.
Problems being faced by people in rural areas,
especially schoolchildren, owing to the failure of Chamundeshwari
Electricity Supply Corporation to supply power regularly dominated
the proceedings.
The authorities expressed their helplessness over
sorting out the problem of power supply as the Government had to deal
with it.
The children said that money was being collected in
primary health centres and liquor was being sold illegally in several
shops. The panchayat authorities assured the children of sorting out
problems regarding drinking water and sanitation facilities. Not
satisfied with oral assurances, the children sought an
acknowledgement from the authorities for having received their
complaints and wanted them to fix a deadline to solve the problems.
The authorities told the children that they would come back to them
after presenting the issues before the departments concerned.
‘Harassment’
Tears started flowing from the eyes of 12-year-old
Anitha as she narrated the harassment being meted out to her father
allegedly by panchayat officials for allotting an Ashraya house.
The authorities consoled her and assured her of
providing justice to her father.
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