NEW DELHI: Like Delhi government's ambitious Bhagidari scheme, the concept of Resident Ward Committees (RWCs) was introduced to encourage public participation in civic governance last year. But of 272 wards, RWCs have been formed in just 80 wards. And only about 50 are active. Though the proposal to form RWCs was unanimously passed last year, it has not gone down well with several BJP and Congress councillors.
Five months into the formation of RWCs, RWAs claim they are facing stiff opposition from councillors. Despite this, the BJP has allocated Rs 34 crore -Rs 12 lakh per ward- for development work involving public participation. A sum of Rs 2.4 crore has been allocated to each RWA registered under the RWC scheme.
BJP councillor from Rajinder Nagar, Mool Chand Chawla, claims that RWC is a "rubbish concept". He says he doesn't require suggestions from RWAs for the development of the ward. "I'm in touch with RWAs and I routinely take rounds of my area, then what is the need for RWCs?'' questioned Chawla. In his area, 13 RWAs - which have come together to form an RWC - had submitted details of their meeting to Chawla. "He refused to accept our suggestion. Politicians have to understand that the public can play a major role in better governance,'' said Dinesh Malik, convenor, Rajinder Nagar RWC.
Several councillors are not ready to involve RWAs in the decision-making process. "Why should we consult RWAs before spending the funds? They are welcome to share their problems with us, but the decision to spend funds lies with us," said Congress councillor from Shahpur Jat, Jaishree Panwar.
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