Chandigarh, Feb 27 (PTI) A meeting was held here on Monday between the Haryana government and the village heads over issues related to the introduction of e-tender for carrying out development works in rural areas, but it failed to make headway.

After the recently held Panchayat polls in the state, the newly elected village heads have been protesting against the e-tendering system, claiming that it will curtail their spending powers.

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While the state Development and Panchayat minister Devender Singh Babli reiterated that the e-tendering system would bring in transparency and ensure quality in development works in villages, a body representing the sarpanches said they are against the policy.

The Haryana Sarpanches Association claimed that the new policy will create "hindrances" in development works. They plan to gherao the residence of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattra here on March 1 in support of their demands.

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Interacting with reporters after the meeting, Babli, a JJP leader, said the sarpanches' body presented him a charter of demands and he assured them that all these will be put before the chief minister.

"We told them that e-tendering is a government decision taken in the state's interests. I have appealed to sarpanches to implement this system and later if they still face a problem, we can sit and discuss," the minister said.

Sarpanch, who was part of the delegation which met Babli here said that they would continue with their protest if the government did not accept their demands.

Last week, Chief Minister Khattar had asserted that the e-tendering system started by his government in Panchayati Raj Institutions aims to bring more transparency in development works.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have also extended their support to the protesting sarpanches opposing the e-tendering system under which the village heads can get development works up to Rs 2 lakh done at their own level but e-tendering is mandatory for works above Rs 2 lakh.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)