Better city? We must all get involved
THE ONLY way Mumbai can truly become a global city is by going local. Neighborhood communities can provide government agencies with valuable information about localities and create awareness and provide feedback to enable better delivery of government services.
This can include cleanliness, public amenities, footpaths, road repairs, traffic suggestions, garden adoption, trees, care, beautification, encroachments and hawking.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has indeed notified the MCGM-Local Area Citizen Group Partnership Charter (with effect from April l, 2006) as an institutional basis for such a formal structure of citizen-civic interaction but has not popularized this.
Very few LACGs have been registered. As we are all aware, civic elections are going to be held for the 227 wards in the city.
The LACG Charter provides for a committee in each of the wards comprising the elected corporator citizen memeorporator formally representing the locality invited officers from other government agencies such as traffic police, with a BMC official acting as a nodal officer
The Charter provides for the joint preparation but this committee of a status report of the various civics issues that would then become the base document for project-planning and problem resolution for the area
The Charter vides for a commit-tee in each of the wards comprising the elected corporator, , citizen members formally representing the locality, invited officers from other government presenting the agencies such as traffic police, with a locality, invited BMC official acting as a nodal officer.
All public complaints and suggestions, whether received by phone, email, internet form, S1VIS, fax or letter, are to be recorded via the under-implementation citizen’s portal and be escalated upwards in : the BMC hierarchy if not resolved within specified : time periods. o
The action taken reports are to be accessible to the ! complainant and LACG concerned.
The BMC is to share its plans in advance with the ‘ concerned LACGs, including work orders and permissions given to utilities for road excavation, to enable LACGs to comment on it, prepare for it, and ensure that the work is done in a timely manner.
The working of individual LACGs is to be reviewed : every quarter by residents of that area via formal : feedback reports or through periodic Open House ‘ Meetin,gs of the community.
This” would ensure that the LACG committee is ‘ working to fulfil the needs of the broader community, and for it to be held accountable to and be supported : by the areas residents.
Though such a system, local problems can be identified and resolved quickly and optimal solutions can be found for various civic-related matters consistent with overall policies,plans,procedures and projects for the entire city