Indian
Express: New Delhi: Wednesday, 02 December 2015.
In a
first-of-its-kind survey, a Mumbai-based organisation has highlighted the
status of civic services and the conduct of elected representatives in the
three municipal corporations of Delhi (MCD).
Praja
Foundation conducted the survey during a one-year period, from January to
December 2014, and compiled most of its data from responses to RTI
applications. The findings of the survey are hardly encouraging; a report by
the Foundation claimed that the MCD administration was “non-responsive and
non-accountable” while the councillors in charge of looking after their wards
were “disengaged”.
The survey
also revealed other facts: according to it, 28 of the 272 councillors, including
current and former mayors, had never raised a single query in their term as
councillor.
“The main
role of an elected representative is to deliberate, but when 28 of 272
councillors do not raise issues, governance clearly suffers,” said Nitai Mehta,
managing trustee, Praja Foundation.
The survey
found that the current complaint redressal system of the MCDs North, South
and East was majorly flawed. “Complaints are maintained in a register and are
often handwritten, making them illegible at times,” stated the report by Praja
Foundation.
According to
data collected over six months, more than 1,100 of the 31,000 complaints filed
with the MCD in that period were not legible. The foundation suggested a
“complete overhaul” of the MCD’s grievance redressal system to tackle the
problem.
Of the 31,551
complaints, over 9,000 were about the “nuisance” caused by stray dogs, cows,
monkeys and other animals, but the issue was raised by councillors during
corporation meetings only 243 times, said the report.
Highlighting
the problem of unauthorised constructions in the capital, citizens of Delhi
submitted over 20,000 complaints about the issue between January and June 2014.
The maximum number of complaints, 3,449, were from Karol Bagh area, stated the
survey.
In its
report, Praja Foundation said that the survey had indicated a “non-responsive
and non-accountable administration and disengaged councillors”.
As far as
attendance in the MCD meetings were concerned, the ruling BJP fared only a tad
better than the opposition parties; BJP councillors had 60 per cent attendance
while Congress members had 59 per cent attendance. Samajwadi Party councillors
had the maximum attendance nearly 85 per cent in corporation meetings.
Women
councillors had better attendance compared to men, according to the Praja
Foundation report.
The
organisation is now planning to bring out “report cards” on MCD councillors as
well as Delhi MLAs.
The report
also suggested that the councillors need to become “more assertive” in the way
they tackle and address citizen’s grievances and they need to “ensure that
proactive steps are taken to ensure implementation.”
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