Powers of inspecting and superintending officers and of the Government.

(1) The Commissioner shall supervise the administration of all Gram Panchayats in the State himself or through officers appointed by him and shall also exercise the powers and perform the functions vested in him by or under this Act. (2) Every Gram Panchayat shall be inspected atleast once in a quarter. (3) (a) The Government or Commissioner or District Collector may appoint such other officers as they may consider necessary for the purpose of inspecting or superintending the operations of all or any of the Gram Panchayats constituted under this Act; (b) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions, the Government may appoint District Panchayat Officers, Divisional Panchayat Officers, and Extension Officers (PR&RD) and define the territorial jurisdiction of each such officer for the above purpose; (c) The Government shall have power to regulate the classification, methods of recruitment, conditions of service, salary and allowances and discipline and conduct of the officers referred to in clauses (a) and (b) and of the members of their establishment. (4) The cost of the officers and the members of the establishment aforesaid shall be paid out of the Consolidated Fund of the State. (5) The District Panchayat Officers, the Divisional Panchayat Officers and the Extension Officers (PR&RD) shall exercise such powers and perform such functions as may be prescribed or as may be delegated to them under this Act. (6) The Commissioner or the District Collector or any officer appointed under sub-section (3) or any other officer or person whom the Government or the Commissioner or the District Collector may empower in this behalf may enter on and inspect or cause to be entered on and inspected,- (a) any immovable property or any work in progress under the control of any Gram Panchayat or Panchayat Secretary; (b) any school, hospital, dispensary, vaccination station, choultry or other institutions maintained, by or under the control of, any Gram Panchayat and any records, registers or other documents kept in such institution; (c) the office of any Gram Panchayat and any records, registers of other documents kept therein; Gram Panchayats and their Sarpanches, Panchayat Secretaries and employees shall be bound to afford to the officers and persons aforesaid, such access, at all reasonable times, to Gram Panchayat property or premises, and all documents as may, in the opinion of such officers or persons, subject to such rules as may be prescribed be necessary to enable them to discharge their duties under this section. (7) The Government in this behalf may,- (a) direct the Gram Panchayat to make provision for and to execute or provide any public work or amenity or service of the description referred to in section 52; (b) call for any record, register or other document in the possession, or under the control, of any Gram Panchayat or Sarpanch; (c) require any Gram Panchayat or Sarpanch to furnish any return, plan, estimate, statement, account or statistics; (d) require any Gram Panchayat or Sarpanch to furnish any information or report on any matter connected with such Gram Panchayat; (e) record in writing for the consideration of any Gram Panchayat or Sarpanch any observations in regard to its or his proceedings or functions. (8) The focus on inspections shall be primarily on the duties and responsibilities as specified in the Act. (9) The Inspection officer shall on his visit to the village, sign and record any remarks deemed necessary on a register maintained for inspection officers in the prescribed proforma. He shall submit the inspection report with due findings and endorsement to the next higher officer. In case the higher authority at a later date finds any omission or irregularity committed by a Gram Panchayat but not reported by the Inspecting officers, the Inspection Officer shall be liable for disciplinary action. (10) (a) The Extension Officer (PR&RD) shall inspect all Gram Panchayats in the Mandal atleast once in three months. He shall ensure eighty five percent survival of plantation in his jurisdiction; (b) The District Panchayat Officer shall inspect atleast five Gram Panchayats in a month. (11) The inspection shall be conducted in accordance with the format, as may be prescribed by the Commissioner,- (a) covering all the responsibilities; (b) quantifying the functions; and (c) evolving the bench marks for every function as provided under the Act in respect of the Gram Panchayat, Sarpanch, Panchayat Secretary. (12) The annual inspection programme of an authority shall be approved by the next higher authority at the beginning of every financial year. (13) The Inspecting Authorities shall prepare a monthly advance tour programme and obtain the approval of next higher authority. (14) The Inspecting Authority shall also submit tour diaries to next higher authorities, which shall be reviewed regularly and approved. (15) The Inspecting Authority shall send inspection report to Gram Panchayat and submit a copy of the same to the next higher authority within one week of completion of inspection and seek a report from Sarpanch and Panchayat Secretary who are bound to submit such report within a fortnight. (16) On receipt of a report from the Sarpanch and Panchayat Secretary, the same shall be submitted to the higher authority. (17) The Higher Authority shall in turn, submit a report to the District Collector, on the lapses pointed out by the Inspecting Authority and the report of the Sarpanch and Panchayat Secretary, on the same. The District Collector shall take immediate action on the lapses reported, if any, where the explanation is not satisfactory. (18) Inspecting officers shall also make surprise inspections in addition to programmed ones. (19) The District Collector shall supervise and monitor the functioning of Panchayat Secretaries of all grades, Extension Officer (PR&RD), Divisional Panchayat Officers and District Panchayat Officers regularly. The District Collector shall be called as Collector (Panchayat) for the purpose of this Act and he shall be the Competent Authority to take disciplinary action against all the above officers, for failure to discharge their duties.