Times of India: Noida: Saturday, February 10, 2018.
At a time
when All India RWAs under the banner of Confederation of All Residents Welfare
Associations (CARWA) held a meeting on Wednesday in the city to reiterate its
demand for legal representation in authority/municipal board of their
respective states, Noida authority comes with a response that no elected
representatives (MLA/MP) nor a nominated member of the society (RWAs/residents)
is allowed to sit in any board / internal meetings of the authority as there's
no provision for the same in authority board. The authority's response came in
reply to an RTI (a copy of which is with TOI) filed by advocate Ranjan Tomar, a
local citizen asking whether public representative or nominated member can
participate in authority meeting held to decide policies for the city.
Tomar filed
the said RTI (number 21219) on Dec 28, 2017 to which authority replied on Jan
29, 2018 and received by Tomar on Thursday (Feb 8).
"The
authority's response to my RTI (number 21219) clearly states that Noida
citizens, be it elected representatives (MP/MLAs) nor a nominated member of the
society (RWAs/residents), have any right to sit in meetings of Noida Authority
wherein the future of Noida is discussed," said Tomar who adds that there
are 81 villages in and around Noida, apart from its many residential sectors.
"How can there be no public representatives, legislators, MPs'
participation in authority board meeting?" questions Tomar.
According to
Tomar, "the said rule makes authority work like a private limited company
while deciding the future master plans of the city and how to administer it.
There is no local body, no elected representatives - MLA, MP from G B Nagar in
its planning or development process. In plain terms this is undemocratic,"
said Tomar who has filed earlier RTIs on important issues concerning residents
welfare.
In an earlier
RTI response to Tomar, authority had stated that Noida does not have any
residential facility for 'industrial workers' working in the city or that
number of industrial sectors in Noida do not exceed the number of residential
sectors.
While Tomar
maintained that if such industrial authority type of system of Noida were to be
promoted in the rest of the country, then it would be fatal for democracy,
residents across the city echo Tomar's views and demanded public representation
in authority especially when major decisions are to be taken. "These
public representatives can act as observers at such meetings," said Col
(rtd) P Chandra, resident of the city.
"A few
public representatives in authority meets will provide the much needed inputs
from the ground which otherwise goes unnoticed or overlooked and adds to better
planning and development of the city," said Akshay Kapoor RWA general
secretary Stellar Greens sector 44.
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