SAGAR
Social activist T. Srinivas has voiced serious concern regarding the prolonged delay in conducting local body elections across Karnataka, warning that administrative inaction risks depriving rural and urban civic bodies of substantial Central government development funds.
Addressing a press conference at the Journalists’ Bhavan in Sagar, Srinivas alleged that grassroots governance and developmental works have been crippled by the state government’s failure to conduct polls within constitutional timelines. He highlighted that the elected tenures of Zilla and Taluk Panchayats lapsed nearly five and a half years ago. Furthermore, urban local bodies—including Town Panchayats, Municipalities, and Municipal Councils—have been functioning without elected councils for over eighteen months, while Gram Panchayat terms expired six months ago.
Srinivas pointed out that the failure to establish democratically elected local governments has drawn severe financial repercussions from the Union government. Under the guidelines of the 15th Finance Commission, the Centre has withheld statutory development grants to the state, stipulating that financial assistance will resume only after elected governing bodies are formally constituted.
Consequently, basic civic services, civic infrastructure maintenance, and day-to-day operations at the grassroots level have been starved of resources. Srinivas noted that this policy stance has already caused over ₹200 crore in sanctioned grants to lapse for rural and urban local bodies in the district alone.
Warning of even steeper fiscal losses ahead, the activist underscored that the impending 16th Finance Commission features substantially higher funding allocations. He cautioned that if the state government fails to notify and conduct local body elections immediately, the district stands to permanently lose access to those critical Central development funds.
