DNA: Mumbai: Tuesday, January 31,
2017.
On February
21, Mumbai's 91,20,811 registered voters will vote to elect 227 corporators to
the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). These people's representatives
are expected to take up your civic issues to the BMC administration and get
them resolved in their capacity to make your life better. But there is an urgent
need that the corporators study the civic issues pertaining to their
constituency, and then prepare agendas and push these in committee meetings in
a planned manner. However, not all of them do so.
Several
citizens' forums, NGOs and civic activists have repeatedly raised civic issues
on their own, and have expressed anger and concern over the apathetic approach
of their civic representatives. PRAJA Foundation which releases report cards
ranking the corporators each year aims to provide ways in which citizens can
get politically active and involved beyond the ballot box, and thus promote
transparency and accountability.
The
information used to rank the corporators is sought through Right to Information
(RTI) queries from the BMC departments concerned.
A senior
associate of Praja Foundation said that the administration also needs to start
taking point of order questions seriously, and answer them prominently.
"To bring about concrete change, the political wing and the administration
needs to change from within, which can only happen when it embraces good
governance practices," he said.
Based on the
data on corporators and ranks given to them on the basis of their performance
this term, DNA takes a look at the top five and bottom five corporators of the
present term. The top five performing corporators, as per Praja Foundation, are
Shiv Sena's Hemangi Worlikar and Sanjay Pawar, Congress corporators Noshir
Mehta and Ajanta Yadav and BJP's Gyanmurti Sharma.
The lowest
ranked corporators are MNS corporators Avinesh Sawant and Mangal Kadam,
Independent corporators Lalita Annamalai and Changez Multani, and Samajwadi
Party corporator Jyotsna Parmar.
What did they
do?
Hemangi
Worlikar: As I was
working with the BMC, I am aware of its internal administration, because of
which I made many budget provisions for different projects in my ward. I
developed municipal schools and markets as well as the firemen's colony in
Worli. The sewage lines in Koliwada were in a bad condition, so I made sure
they were repaired.
Sanjay
Pawar: Citizens have
always been my priority. I concentrated mostly on widening of roads and water
logging issues. DN Nagar area, which had water logging issues since 20 years
was solved last year. I managed to create more water outlets and even clean
drainage lines. I discouraged the use of plastic bags. I have also worked
towards making my ward environment- friendly.
Nosir
Mehta: Could not be
reached
Ajanta
Yadav: Could not be
reached
Dyanmurti
Sharma: Could not be
reached
What did
they not do?
Avinash
Sawant: In my tenure
I have undertaken 285 major works. I have laid the trunk line in my area which
provided 24 hours water supply in areas like Gautam Nagar and Jaibhim Nagar. I
have developed temples, built public toilets, auditorium and many other
facilities from the funds allocated. Not asking too many questions does not
mean I have not worked for my ward.
Changez
Multani: I have
utilised my funds to the maximum and have spent money from my pocket as well
for the ward. In Jogeshwari, I have undertaken beautification and cleanliness
activities. Low attendance does not display what a corporator has done for his
ward.
Lalita
Annamalai and Jyotsana Parmar:
Not available for comment
Mangal
Kadam: Could not be
reached
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