Port Blair, May 17: Shri Ajoy Bairagi, State President, Bharatiya Janata Party, A & N Islands in a letter to Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, ANI and the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration stated that the powers of Elected Representatives both in PRI’s & PBMC has been snatched away and the elected representatives have not much say in the functioning of these institutions.

Quoting different statements, he further stated that, the role of Elected Representatives is reduced to “Ornamental” in nature, which defeats the very purpose and meaning associated with the preamble of the Principal Regulations which also makes the mockery of the constitutional amendment made for establishing and empowering the local bodies in the country.

He requested the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Secretary to issue necessary direction to concerned authorities to take appropriate steps immediately to restore the powers back to the Elected Representatives to ensure the motto of Hon’ble Prime Minister’s “Minimum Government Maximum Governance”