TV
Even after the change of government in Odisha, District Planning Committee (DPC) chairpersons have not been appointed. During the BJD regime, Ministers and MLAs used to hold these posts. However, after the BJP came to power, they removed the earlier appointees but have not filled the vacancies with new appointments.
As a result, for the past 15 months, development work in several districts has faced hurdles. Raising the issue in the Assembly, Opposition members questioned the government, to which the Chief Minister responded that the selection process would be completed soon. Meanwhile, political sparring between ruling and opposition members has intensified over the matter.
For the past 15 months, the posts of District Planning Committee (DPC) chairpersons have reportedly remained vacant, bringing developmental activities across several districts to a halt. Although the government has changed, no new appointments have been made to these crucial positions. In the absence of a chairperson, no approvals are being granted for expenditure from the CGF.
According to official guidelines, every district must have a District Planning Committee responsible for approving the district’s development plans. Through this, pending projects are granted approval for funding under the CGF.
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During the BJD government’s tenure after 2015-16, some MLAs were appointed as DPC chairpersons in place of Ministers. This ensured that, while ministers headed most committees across the 30 districts, a few were chaired by MLAs. Those MLAs were also given the rank of Minister of State.
However, after the BJP came to power, all DPC chairperson posts have remained vacant. As a result, CGF funds are lying unutilized, stalling numerous development works. The issue has now been raised in the state Assembly.
Congress Legislature Party leader Ramachandra Kadam directly targeted the government on this issue, to which the Chief Minister responded that the selection process for the posts is still underway. The BJD, meanwhile, took a swipe at the BJP, saying that despite having governments both at the Centre and in the state, development has been stalled. In response, the ruling party maintained that while District Planning Committees (DPCs) are necessary, development work has not come to a halt anywhere.
"The government is saying that so many development works are conducted. However, the chairman of the planning committee has not been appointed yet. Let a Minister or MLA be appointed in the post. It could not be done for the last 15 months and as a result the planning grants could not be utilised and development works in various districts have been halted," said Ramachandra Kadam.
"Western Odisha Development Council could not be formed, District Planning Committee posts have not been filled, and the ministerial posts have remained vacant. The government has taken around one and a half years to take the decision. If the government is not able to take decisions on this matter, what kind of decisions they are taking over the big problems of the state? It is a failure and inefficiency of the government," said senior BJD leader Prasanna Acharya.
"No development work has been halted due to the Planning Board. Various meetings of the districts and RPDC meetings are being held. For the development of the districts, the government is taking the responsibilities of the Planning Committees. In the coming days, all the appointments will be made," said BJP MLA Ashok Mohanty.
As per law, a District Planning Committee is constituted in every district. Its primary objective is to integrate the plans of panchayats and municipalities and finalise the overall development agenda. In Odisha, this is carried out under the Odisha District Planning Committee Act. The state’s Planning Board prepares the broader state-level plan based on the short-term and long-term proposals of these committees.
However, political analysts have pointed out that since the BJP came to power in Odisha, the delay in forming new District Planning Committees is not justified. They also stated that it’s not just the DPCs; even the State Planning Board has remained inactive. During the previous BJD government’s 24-year tenure, the State Planning Board met only twice.
"Planning Committees are definitely required to make the administration more effective. At the district planning level, it is mostly required. The government should think seriously about the inactivity in this case for the last one and a half years. Many developmental works have been halted due to this," said political analyst Prasanna Mohanty.
