Panchayat and rural development minister Dilip Ghosh said on Friday that the state government was facing a major administrative challenge in maintaining the smooth functioning of rural local bodies because of the absence or disappearance of several elected panchayat members.

Ghosh, who held an administrative review meeting of his department for five north Bengal districts at the Mainak Tourism Property in Siliguri on Friday, said the absence of elected board members disrupted normal panchayat activities and caused inconvenience to common people.

“We have been facing a major challenge in running panchayat boards across the state because many elected members have either fled or are not attending offices regularly. As a result, people are suffering,” Ghosh said.

The minister’s remarks come at a time when questions are being raised over the functioning of rural local bodies in several districts amid political instability and administrative challenges, particularly after the regime change in Bengal.

MLAs from Darjeeling and Kurseong attended the review meeting, along with senior officials of the district administrations of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri.

The minister also elaborated on certain measures being undertaken by the government to strengthen rural governance and improve infrastructure in panchayat areas.

According to Ghosh, the government has initiated steps to address manpower shortages in rural bodies by recruiting approximately 11,000 personnel to fill vacant posts at various administrative levels.

He further stated that the Centre had cleared pending funds for the 2023–26 fiscal. Suvendu Adhikari, the chief minister, has received a sanction of around ₹1,700 crore, of which nearly ₹700 crore has been allocated for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar, and the Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) or VB-G RAM G scheme.

“The work under the central employment guarantee schemes has already started in almost every block, and nearly 2.56 crore people are expected to benefit from them. Necessary scrutiny will also be conducted to identify fake job card holders,” the minister said.

Addressing issues related to the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills, Ghosh admitted that the panchayat system had returned to the region without adequate infrastructure.

“We will focus on developing the infrastructure of panchayats across the hills to ensure proper functioning of the local bodies. Demands for land rights for tea garden workers and relaxations related to the construction of houses will also be looked into. Necessary proposals will be sent to the central government for consideration,” he said.