Civic strife — Citizens pledge to keep tabs on corporators

October 22: Sharad Rao has been likened to the forest brigand, Veerappan. The only thing Rao must do to make the resemblance complete is g...

October 22: Sharad Rao has been likened to the forest brigand, Veerappan. The only thing Rao must do to make the resemblance complete is grow the infamous moustache and fancy a scar across the face, believe citizens who attended a public meeting organised by the Action for Good Governance and Networking in India (AGNI), on October 21.

The gathering, of more than 500 citizens, also adopted an eight-point memorandum prepared by AGNI. The memorandum spells out a course of action that can be taken against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s elected representatives, who had voted en masse in favour of

the “blackmailing tactics” of civic unions about 10 days ago. The memorandum, which was accepted by the citizens and signed by AGNI Chairperson, B G Deshmukh, calls for greater citizens’ involvement in civic affairs and accountability among corporators. It also suggested the formation of a citizens’ core committee comprising qualified individuals, including retired municipal workers, to take over during emergency situations.

The memorandum states the following:

1. The state government must restrain the BMC from misusing funds.

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2. Citizens’ organisations and civic unions both must realise that in a strike situation, everyone suffers.

3. These organisations must also monitor policies and decisions taken by the BMC.

4. Provisions must be made to recover funds from corporators and officers responsible for unlawful payments.

5. Corporators must be prevented from using public money to appease the workers.

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6. Citizens must fight against the pressure tactics adopted by unions and organise themselves at the ward and sub-ward level.

7. Citizens will pressurise the government and the BMC to take action against errant officers and seek compensation for losses incurred.

8. Citizens will form a core committee that will take over during an emergency.

Some of those who attended the meet suggested that candidates with no political affiliations to the BMC be sponsored during elections, as in the case of the Kolhapur municipal elections. There, 70 per cent of the candidates elected were Independents.

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Other suggestions included withholding property tax until the citizens’ voices had been heard. Some proposed that the assets of corporators be examined before and after they had been elected. They suggested that the names, pictures, addresses and telephone numbers of corporators be put up on huge hoardings in each respective ward so that people know who and where to complain.