CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan on Tuesday urged the Tamil Nadu government to decentralize power and allocate more funds to local bodies, emphasizing the need for greater autonomy and financial support for rural and urban governance.Addressing a demonstration held by the party’s local body members, including Madurai Corporation Deputy Mayor T Nagarajan, Balakrishnan criticized the central government’s policies, claiming they hinder the functioning of local bodies. “The central government is implementing policies that freeze the functioning of rural and urban local bodies. Instead of decentralizing powers, more and more powers are being centralized,” he stated.
Balakrishnan highlighted that, as per the 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution, rural local bodies should be granted 29 types of powers, while urban bodies should have 18. He pointed out that excessive control by authorities over even routine expenditures restricts the autonomy of elected bodies, impeding their ability to implement projects. “The State government should give more powers to the local bodies,” he asserted.
Further emphasizing the financial needs of local governance, Balakrishnan called on the State government to increase the allocation of funds to local bodies from 10% to 30%. He also advocated for empowering panchayats to sanction up to Rs 10 lakh for works executed under the Village Panchayat Public Fund, to enhance their operational efficiency and responsiveness to local needs.
Balakrishnan also criticized the state’s annual property tax increase of 6%, stating that this policy is burdensome for citizens. He argued that the authority to raise taxes should rest with the local bodies, and the government should not impose resolutions on them to collect taxes.