Resolution passed during gram sabha wants panchayats to be the decision-making body on opening Tasmac shops

Gram sabha being held at Kambur panchayat in Madurai district on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Kambur Panchayat near Melur has passed a resolution not to allow any Tasmac shops to be opened in their panchayat limits during the Gram Sabha meeting held on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi on Wednesday,

When a Tasmac shop opens in a panchayat, people in the area where the ones who got affected, so, the decision-making authority should also be wielded by residents, they spoke at the meeting.  

In States like Haryana and Maharashtra, the village panchayat was the decision-making body for any new schemes or projects or any new development for that matter, Selvaraj, a resident of Kambur said.  

“During an earlier gram sabha, a resolution passed by the Kambur panchayat villagers had stopped the opening of a new Tasmac shop in Ayvathanpatty. We see this a success to the resolutions made through gram sabhas,” he added.  

Even Madras High Court in 2021 has questioned the State government why the gram sabhas could not be given the authority to take decisions for themselves or their village. “This indicates that gram sabha meetings which are held for namesake in many villages should get reformed to have healthy local-level governance,” he noted.  

A similar resolution was passed in Kesampatti panchayat to enact law to make the gram sabhas the final authority to decide on opening Tasmac shops in their area. 

Jeeva, a resident of the panchayat said, the villagers were facing several problems and life loss due to men falling to the habit of alcohol consumption.  

“Though men could buy alcohol from neighbouring panchayats, the fact that they have to travel long distance would discourage them,” he said.

Kovilpaapakudi panchayat residents during gram sabha meeting opposed the State government’s move to merge their panchayat with the Madurai Corporation. They said, merging them with the Corporation would make them lose their jobs provided under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Also, they would have to pay property tax to the Corporation, they said. These new changes would disrupt their life more than enhancing their livelihood, they added.