UP govt appoints 826 Kshetra Panchayat heads as administrators after their term ended

For the first time in Uttar Pradesh, after the village heads and district panchayat presidents, block heads have been appointed administrators on the expiry of their present tenure.

The state government issued an order appointing 826 block heads as administrators on Sunday, the day their term expired.

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This is the first time in Uttar Pradesh’s history that the government has simultaneously appointed district panchayat chairpersons, kshetra panchayat (block) heads, and gram pradhans or village heads as administrators.

Normally, after the term of the Kshetra Panchayat ends, the Block Development Officer (BDO) is appointed administrator. However, under this government decision, the kshetra panchayat heads will remain in their positions until the next panchayat elections.

The government had previously appointed all 75 sitting district panchayat presidents as administrators on July 11. On May 25, it issued an order appointing gram pradhans as administrators.

However, the matter of appointing gram pradhans as administrators is pending before the Allahabad High Court.

After appointing Kshetra Panchayat heads as administrators, the government has imposed some restrictions on their powers to avoid technical and legal complications. As administrators, they will not be able to make any major policy decisions but will continue to handle routine tasks.

Block heads will send proposals regarding any policy matter to the government through the DM. Final approval will be given at the government level.

According to sources, the government will soon issue detailed guidelines regarding their powers. These will clarify the tasks they can undertake and those that will require the DM’s permission.