More than 50 residents of Pichanur Panchayat in Madukkarai Panchayat Union staged a protest near the Panchayat office on Saturday.
Gram sabha meeting
The residents’ grouse was that the Panchayat Union officials were unwilling to furnish information for the questions they had asked in gram sabha meeting held on August 15 and social audit meetings held over the past few months to scrutinise the expenditure entries mentioned against various development works, said G. Kathirvel, a resident and DMK member.
The Panchayat claimed to have spent ₹ 17 lakh over the last two financial years to plant saplings. But the residents have not seen any saplings planted.
Similarly, the residents’ questions on the Panchayat spending for buying bleaching powder, repairing faulty street lights and several such entries saw the officials concerned give only evasive replies.
Mr. Kathirvel further said that the officials had gone a step ahead in lodging complaints against a few residents who had posed questions in the past.
That was why the residents protested by tying black ribbon around their mouth.
Boycott meeting
They had also boycotted the water resource management meeting that was held.
‘Handiwork of DMK’
In response to the allegations, the Panchayat Union officials replied that though the residents had protested and dissuaded others from attending the meeting, they had successfully conducted the meeting.
The protest was nothing more than a handiwork of a few DMK men, the officials added.