A general meeting of the Panchayat Samiti was held on Monday at the MNREGA office auditorium in Chhatapur block, Supaul district, presided over by Block Chief Aasiya Devi. The meeting began with the confirmation of previous proceedings, followed by a stormy question-and-answer session. Members vociferously raised issues related to agriculture, electricity, revenue, health, education, child development, and encroachment, among various public welfare schemes.

BDO Dr. Rakesh Gupta informed that 83% of eligible families in the block possess ration cards, and efforts are underway to issue cards to the remaining eligible beneficiaries. A target of creating four thousand new ration cards has been set, with 1,400 applications received so far. Regarding the removal of roadside encroachments, the BDO stated that action was scheduled for May 18 but had to be postponed due to the unavailability of police force. A proposal will be sent to the sub-divisional administration to secure police support for removing temporary encroachments along the highway. He also warned that those who re-encroach after removal would face action under Section 126 at the police station level.

Farmers' issues also led to significant uproar during the meeting. Panchayat heads Kishore Kumar Munna (Lakshmipur Khunti), Mahanand Prasad Yadav (Udhampur), Shambhu Kumar Singh (Chunni), and other members questioned the arbitrary pricing of urea and DAP, and delays in providing electricity to every field. Members alleged that fertilizers were being sold to farmers at several hundred rupees above the fixed price, and illegal charges were being collected for electricity connections under the agricultural feeder. They also leveled serious allegations against the Block Agriculture Officer (BAO) and demanded action against those exploiting farmers.

Other issues discussed included the impact of water scarcity in canals on irrigation, the pending process of shifting the bus stand, the shortage of funds for the Kabir Antyeshti Yojana and Kanya Vivah Yojana, and erosion problems in the Gaida and Sursar rivers. Panchayat Samiti members Savitri Devi and Rajkumar Singh from Kathera Panchayat alleged discrimination in scheme allocation. The meeting was attended by CO Raviraj, SHO Pramod Jha, Deputy Chief Sanjay Yadav, various departmental officials, and public representatives.