"My aim is to transform Udupi Taluk Panchayat into a model in the Karnataka State” - Devdas Hebbar

By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 09 April 2011: “Presently, the Udupi Taluk Panchayat that includes 61 grama pachayats is ranked second in the Karnataka State as the largest taluk panchayat. However, my aim is to transform it into a model taluk panchayat in the entire Karnataka State in terms of governance, transparency  and implementation of socially relevant welfare measures”, said Devdas Hebbar, the President of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat with an air of confidence and sincerity while he spoke to this reporter when he visited his office in the Udupi Taluk Panchayat building on Friday, 8 April 2011. Devdas Hebbar  has been busy in conducting meetings of the Panchayat Presidents  and  Panchayat Development Officers (PDO),  along with Nodal Officers, Panchayat Raj Department (PRD) Engineers and the  members of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat on Thursday, 7 and Friday 8 April 2011.

 

Speaking about the need to have such as meeting, Devdas Hebbar said that in many cases, lack of coordination and cooperation between the grama panchayat Presidents and PDOs on one side and the Nodal Officers and PRD Engineers on the other side, many developmental works suffer. In order to bridge this gap and to bring to the notice of all the officials concerned their responsibilities, he initiated the meeting of all the 61 grama panchayats in two phases. On 7 April he held the meeting of the Presidents and PDOs of 41 grama panchayats and on 8 April the remaining 20 grama panchayats along with 41  Taluk Panchayat members, Nodal Officers and PRD Engineers. This reporter had an opportunity to witness the meeting on Friday, 8 April 2011 from 10.30 am to 2 pm.

 

The meeting began sharp at 10.30 am as Devdas Hebbar believes and observes strict punctuality. Devdas Hebbar, Mrs. Baby Poojarthi, Vice President  of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat and D. Manjunathayya, the Executive Officer were on the dais. Devdas Hebbar and D. Manjunathayya conducted the  meeting explaining and clarifying as many as 26 issues about various schemes, responsibilities of different officials, means to raise income of the panchayats, water supply, NREGS, etc.

 

Being a stickler to punctuality  and a disciplinarian, Devdas Hebbar  pointed out to the participants in the meeting  the  need to  maintain punctuality  when he found  quite a number of them  entering the conference hall well  beyond the stipulated time of the meeting that was  10.30 am.

 

 

The entire meeting was conducted in a professional and disciplined manner by both Devdas Hebbar and D. Manjunathayya. The participants who had certain doubts on certain issues got them clarified. All the participants introduced themselves and got acquainted with the Nodal Officers and PRD Engineers.

 

In the meeting, Devdas Hebbar made an appeal to the participants to work for the betterment of their village with sincerity and in a transparent way. As an incentive, he announced that on the basis of half yearly assessment of each of the grama panchayat he would award three prizes on his own on the basis of the points that the grama panchayats would receive at the end of the year.

 

Later, in his office, speaking about the   functioning of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat, Devdas Hebbar said that the main function of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat is to supervise and monitor the functioning of all 61 grama panchayats. There are 29 departments dealing with various aspects of the local administration.  Further he said that all the 61 grama panchayats right from Kota in the north to Hejmadi in the south are computerised and are connected with internet. Hence, all information is passed on to the grama panchayats electronically so that there is no delay in communicating various government schemes and other information needed by the grama panchayats.

 

Regarding various projects that are being undertaken within the Udupi Taluk Panchayat, Devdas Hebbar pointed out that  the plan for the  removal  of silt and deepening and providing of protection work to 46 lakes and tanks has already been approved under various grama panchayats at a cost of 12 crores of rupees. The housing project for the  benefit of poorer villagers comprising of 2440 units of houses, each unit costing Rs.63,500/- has been already started . Under the Pradhan Mantri Grama Sadak Yojane, 22 crores of rupees have been sanctioned for concretizing the village roads in various parts of the Udupi Taluk. Ten lakhs of rupees have been set aside for improving drinking water facilities in various villages.

 

Devdas Hebbar, who will be president of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat for 20 months has already started working on a plan to increase the revenue of the taluk panchayat by renting out the unused hall in the Udupi Taluk Panchayat office building to a bank.  He also said that the old unused structure next to the Udupi Taluk Panchayat building would  be demolished and a huge commercial complex would be erected  that would fetch handsome income to the Taluk Panchayat that can be used for various developmental work.

 

Speaking about his vision for the Udupi Taluk Panchayat, Devdas Hebbar  emphasised the fact that good governance, transparency and hundred percent results in all fields are his prime objectives as the president of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat. He feels that by these methods all panchayats will be able to give their best to their villages and collectively, the Udupi Taluk Panchayat can emerge as a model  taluk panchayat in the entire Karnataka State.

 

Soft-spoken, amiable, sincere in his intent and approach, Devdas Hebbar has been respected and appreciated by practically all members belonging to different political parties. He never allows party affiliation to cloud either his thinking or action. He has included representatives from different parties into various sub-committees. Devdas Hebbar says that basically he is a social worker and politics is only a means to implement the social programmes that would benefit  practically all the village communities under the Udupi Taluk Panchayat.

 

There is no doubt that under the able guidance of Devdas  Hebbar as the President of the udupi Taluk Panchayat and with his sincerity and emphasis on punctuality, discipline, good governance and transparency, the Udupi Taluk Panchayat  has all the potential to emerge as the model taluk panchayat in the entire Karnataka State.