Chandigarh, Mar 10 (PTI) An outfit representing sarpanches in Haryana protesting the e-tendering policy on Friday said they would picket outside the Assembly on March 17 since no consensus on key demands could be reached in their talks with the state government.

The sarpanches have been protesting the e-tendering system for development works in rural areas, claiming it would curtail their spending powers. The state government has maintained that the e-tendering system would bring transparency, ensure quality in development works and ensure their completion in a time-bound manner.

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Haryana Sarpanches Association claimed that a marathon meeting between them and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday evening did not yield the desired result. Another round of talks with officials on Friday also failed to yield results, they claimed.

"No consensus has been reached. Since we were busy in our meetings here, we have deferred our call to gherao the chief minister's residence in Karnal on Saturday. Now, we will gherao the Vidhan Sabha on March 17. Our agitation will continue," Haryana Sarpanches Association president Ranbir Singh told reporters here.

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"We are asking for our rights. Gram Panchayats should be given independent powers," he said.

After the talks on Thursday evening, Khattar had said consensus was reached on most issues, but Ranbir Singh differed. "So far, there is no consensus on any issue. We have given the government time till Friday 12 pm," Singh told reporters later that night,

The sarpanches have intensified their protest over the past few weeks in support of their various demands. The talks came amid protests by several village heads who are mainly opposed to the provisions of e-tendering in development works.

Under the system, village heads can approve development works up to Rs 2 lakh at their levels but e-tendering is mandatory for projects above Rs 2 lakh, and many village heads feel their powers will be curtailed.

Among other demands put forth by the association, the sarpanches said the right to recall law should be implemented first on MLAs and MPs, and then on local bodies.

Recently, police had "lathi-charged" several village heads who had gathered in Panchkula to protest the Haryana government's e-tender policy as they tried to break barricades and march towards the chief minister's residence.

The main opposition Congress has been opposing the e-tendering in development works in rural areas.

(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)