Chapter I Chapter I

Preliminary

1. (1) This Act may be called the Sikkim Panchayat Act, 1982.
2. (2) It extends to the whole of Sikkim except the areas which have been or may hereafter be declared as, or included in, the Municipal Corporation under the provisions of the Gangtok Municipal Corporation Act, 1975 or as a cantonment under the provisions of the Cantonment Act, 1924 or as a Bazar Area under the provisions of the Sikkim Bazar Committees Act, 1969.
3. (3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification, appoint and different dates may be appointed for different areas or different provisions of the Act and any reference to the commencement of any provision of this Act shall be construed as reference to the date on which such provision is brought into force in such areas:

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,

1. (a) "Adhakshya" means an Adhakshya of a Zilla Panchayat elected under sub-section

1. (1) of section 45;
   • (b) "auditor" means an auditor appointed under section 78 and includes any officer authorised by him to perform all or any of the functions of an auditor.
   • (c) "District Collector" means the Collector of the district;
   • (d) "Deputy Development Officer-cum -Planning Officer" means the Deputy Development Officer-cum-Planning Officer of the district appointed by the State Government;
   • (e) "Gram" means any village or part of a village or group of adjoining villages or parts thereof declared by the State Government to be a Gram under subsection
2. (1) of section 3;
   • (f) "Gram Panchayat" means a Gram Panchayat constituted under sub-section
     • (I) of section 6;
   • (g) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
   • (h) "prescribed authority" means an authority appointed by the State Government by notification, for all or any of the purposes of this Act;
     • (i) "Sabhapati" means a Sabhapati of a Gram Panchayat elected under sub-section
     • (I) of section 10;
   • (j) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Rural Development Department and includes an Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary of that Department;
   • (k) 'Upadhakshya" means an Upadhakshya of a Zilla Panchayat elected under sub-section
3. (1) of section 45;
   • (l) "Up-Sabhapati" means an Up-Sabhapati of a Gram Panchayat elected under sub-section
     • (I) of section 10;
   • (m) "Zilla Panchayat" means a Zilla Panchayat of a district constituted under subsection.
4. (1) of section 42.