The Bengal government has sought reports on functioning of gram panchayats from district magistrates amid reports that development schemes have come to a grinding halt as functionaries of several rural bodies stopped attending offices in areas where the BJP performed well in the Lok Sabha polls.

Non-functional gram panchayats cause a worry for the ruling establishment as it halts development and welfare schemes because the lowest tier of the panchayat system is the implementing agency.

“The DMs have been asked by the panchayat department to send report on functioning of gram panchayats,” said a source.

Sources in the department said the exact number of such gram panchayats was yet to be ascertained, but primarily, it appeared that elected representatives were absent in about 15 per cent of 3,300-odd gram panchayats.

“In majority of the cases, the Trinamul Congress’s panchayat members are being prevented from entering offices. In some cases, Trinamul members seem to be eager to distance themselves from the ruling party. In both the cases, villagers are suffering a lot,” said a senior government official.

Elected members play an important role in ensuring development in the rural areas as they pass the projects by holding meetings. The members also play a vital role in the inclusion of new beneficiaries in the housing and old age pension schemes.

Primarily, government officials have pointed out two possible reasons for the situation. First, the ruling party’s members are facing the wrath of the villagers in areas where they won uncontested last year.

“In some panchayats, elected members are being prevented from entering offices after the BJP put up a good show in the Lok Sabha polls in the areas. The villagers are actually carrying out the agitation to vent their anger against the ruling party members who won uncontested,” said a source.

The sources pointed out that ruling party members were prevented from entering the Kankalitala gram panchayat in Birbhum, where no Opposition candidate could file nominations during last year’s rural polls.

Second, some Trinamul members have stopped going to panchayat offices after the agitation demanding refund of cut money spread to several districts.

“Several panchayats in Bankura, East Burdwan and Birbhum have become non functional after the agitation spread rapidly in these districts following the chief minister’s instruction to Trinamul leaders to refund cut money, if taken,” said a source.

An official, who recently visited few districts, said as a number of gram panchayats did not function properly since the Lok Sabha poll results were out, schemes like 100-day work and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana came to a halt.

“No major work could be undertaken since March because of the Lok Sabha polls. The rural bodies should have used the month of June to kick off some projects so that villagers could have earned some money under the 100-day work scheme before the onset of the monsoon,” said the official.