Haryana backward classes panel begins hearing on panchayat poll quota

GURUGRAM: The Haryana Backward Classes Commission on Friday held a public hearing for three districts falling in Gurugram division — Gurugram, Rewari and Mahendragarh — to get feedback and suggestions for giving reservation to backward-class people in Panchayati Raj institutions.
The commission is tasked with recommending how many seats must be reserved for backward classes in the upcoming panchayat elections, the schedule for which is expected to be announced soon.
“We have come here to take your suggestions that in what proportion reservation should be given to the backward-class people in Panchayati Raj institutions,” the commission’s chairman, Justice Darshan Singh, a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana HC said, while addressing people at John Hall in Civil Lines.
“You should give your useful suggestions and if there is any data, then share the same with the commission, which will be of great help to us in making recommendations to the government.” People can also submit their suggestions through e-mail to the commission.
A large number of people from all the three districts came for the public hearing.
Mukul Kumar, member secretary of the commission and deputy commissioner of Kurukshetra district, said, “The purpose of this public hearing is to get suggestions from the general public regarding the proportion in which reservation should be given to the backward classes in Panchayati Raj institutions. After getting the suggestions, this commission will send its recommendations on this subject to the state government.”
In the public hearing held in Gurugram, some people said that provision to give separate reservation should be made for backward class ‘A’ and backward class ‘B’ in Panchayati Raj institutions, while some were of the view that reservation should be given to OBCs only.
Retired district and sessions judge JS Jangra, a resident of Gurugram, while presenting his viewpoint before the commission, said that there should be a provision of separate reservation for backward class ‘A’ category so that they get representation in Panchayati Raj institutions.
Rekha Yadav, also from Gurugram, said that the caste-based reservation should end, while Anil Kumar from Rewari, said that the proportion of reservation should be fixed on the basis of quantifiable data of population of different castes.