Nainital, 14 Oct: The Uttarakhand High Court has set aside the decision of the present Udham Singh Nagar Zila Panchayat board to cancel development works that had been approved by the previous board. The Court passed this order while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against the cancellation of earlier sanctioned schemes. Later in the evening following the hearing, the State Government submitted its position before the Court, admitting that the current board had indeed annulled works sanctioned by the previous board, despite not having the authority to do so.
Taking note of the submission, the Division Bench quashed the stay order imposed by the present board and directed the Zila Panchayat and other concerned parties to file their replies. The next hearing in the matter has been fixed for two weeks later.
According to the petition, Jaipal Singh, a resident of Udham Singh Nagar, stated that several development projects in his Block Panchayat area had been approved and awarded to members of the former Zila Panchayat. However, due to various administrative reasons, the works could not be completed. Subsequently, the government issued a notification for the Panchayat elections, which prevented the completion of these works within the stipulated timeframe.
After the new board took charge, it cancelled more than 350 construction works approved earlier. While hearing the matter, the Division Bench observed that governments may change, but the responsibility to complete schemes already sanctioned by the previous administration continues to rest with the incumbent government. Accordingly, the Court stayed the order cancelling the previously approved projects, ensuring that developmental activities are not disrupted due to changes in the elected body.
