Dear Sir/ Madam,
Rapid urbanisation is taking place in all parts of our country and all the new settlers are invariably residing in Apartment-buildings, in colonies and in gated communities. These Resident Welfare Associations are self-governing bodies and they self-finance and manage their community as well as create urban amenities in the area. They are all professionally very active and are the main source of our GDP growth. They pay all kinds of direct and indirect taxes, but many do not go to vote. It is not free things that they want but more opportunities to participate in the local governance and in area development.
Since, we are convinced that you are
committed to further democratic decentralization, we as a national
Confederation of Resident Welfare Associations (CoRWA), we would like to seek
your Party’s commitment in your forthcoming Election Manifesto as to what
avenues of participation you would intend to provide for the urban citizens.
1. Following the spirit of the 74th
Amendment of our Constitution, local self-government at the level of the
municipality is to be strengthened by the state government by transferring the
18 functions mentioned, with necessary functionaries and funds. Most of the
state governments have not done it completely.
2. The amended Article in the Constitution
expressly suggested the creation of “Wards Committees” in each municipality.
They are to be composed of representatives of Resident Welfare Associations and
other registered civil society organizations of local youth, senior citizens
and women. Their mission is to make proposals and to participate in local area
planning, budget proposals for some maintenance works, field-coordination of
the works of various departments and setting up local Standard Operating
Procedures for Disaster Management, etc. Further, as the need of the hour
demands, the members can take appropriate commitments on behalf of their
communities to reduce and eliminate locally prevalent environmental pollutions.
As stakeholders they would be acting in all those activities with locally
appropriate knowledge, expertise and innovation
a). Each Ward Committee should hold
periodical ‘Area Sabhas’ of the residents of different areas in the Ward in cooperation
with the RWAs, which statutorily hold general assembly meetings of their
residents.
3. Such Ward Committee would be having ward
office headed by a Ward Administrative Officer, equivalent to the rank of an
Assistant Municipal Commissioner for local coordination of field officers
belonging to the health, hygiene, roads, lighting, disease-control, etc. and to
resolve directly local complaints received.
4. The Deputy Municipal Commissioner in
charge of the Ward should convene regularly a meeting with the RWAs at least
once per month; every 3 months at the level of the Zonal Commissioner and once
in six months with the Commissioner in order to review the pending issues.
5. The Municipal Commissioner should
facilitate direct relations and transactions between the projects of the RWAs,
particularly in areas of Climate Change and the companies in the area which
would like to express their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
6. Inspired by the Bhagidari System that
was very successfully practiced in New Delhi, many construction, development
and repair works can be entrusted in a collaborative manner to the RWAs; in
which case, there will be more quality, less delays and lower cost. At least,
there should RWA endorsement of the finished works of the contractors or social audit by them.
7. The "Performance Grant" that
is being received by the Urban Local bodies on the basis of the criteria
proposed by the XIV Finance Commission should include the participation of the
local RWA as one of the criteria.
With best regards,
Dr. Rao V.B.J. Chelikani (Former associate of UNESCO, Paris)
0 Comments