By Dr. Rao V.B.J. Chelikani &
Prof. T. Tirupati Rao, former Vice-Chancellor, O.U. Hyderabad.
Recently the Government of Telangana made some amendments to
the composition of the Ward Committees by a Municipalities Act 20 of 2020, which simply says that
there would be four ward committees for senior citizens, women, youth and eminent
citizens. Each contains 25 members from among the resident welfare
associations, community-based organisations, and other such groups and
individuals by rotation annually.
We welcome this initiative of the present Government to
enhance urban citizens' direct participation in their local area development at
the ward level.
However, given the past disappointing experience of the
earlier ward Committees and Area Sabhas, we would like to propose the following
rules and guidelines for their more effective functioning to be taken into
account in the G.O. to be issued later after the GHMC elections. This will help
invest the very rich human capital available in the city to make Hyderabad a
great city. The following proposals are addressed to the Minister for Municipal
Administration and Urban Development, on 13th Nov.20.
Rules &
Guidelines for the Ward Committees to be formed as per Act. 20 of 2020 of
GoT
8 A (2): The members of the Committees:i. The residents
of the ward are to be proposed by the associations registered with the
Registrar of Societies, such as the Resident Welfare Associations, including
Colony associations as well as Apartments-Building associations, senior
citizens' welfare associations or Cooperative Housing Societies, or those
groups recognised by MEPMA, or UCD department, such as the 'Basti Committees',
Self-Help Groups, and the Circle level Aasara committees, which are very
specific to GHMC, or Mahila Mandalis, Youth associations, and chapters or area
committees of the nationally accredited professional bodies of health and
medical persons, Chartered Accountants, Advocates, Domestic Helpers,
Auto-Rikshaw drivers, teachers, lecturers and professors, engineers, whose
memberships are not based on caste or creed or not affiliated to any political
party.
ii. As far as the Committee of 25 eminent persons is
concerned, the nominated persons should be residents in the ward but not
necessarily a member of the nominating Association, and should not be an active
member of any political party.
iii. Half of such nominations should be women.
iv. Two-thirds of the nominations should be processed
through the Resident welfare Associations so as to ensure annual rotation in
nominations, adequate representation of local diversity in all Committees, as
well as to ensure the unbiased and neutral functioning.
v. The annual nominations should be called for,
scrutinised and selected by the Dy. Commissioner and to be placed before the
Council for approbation. In case, there are more nominations than required, the
Dy. Commissioner might propose criteria for selection among them, taking into
account the principle of rotation and diversity.
A). Among the associations and recognised groups, preference
should be given to those which hold regular general body meetings of more than
50 of its members in the spirit of ‘area sabhas’ to collect the feedback from
the residents in the area.
vi. Care should be taken as far as possible by the Dy.
Commissioner to see that neither the close family members of the corporator nor
his/her defeated political opponents do not creep into the Committees to
disrupt the good-faith in the discussions.
vii. During the course of approbation in the Council,
the corporator of the ward concerned should be given an opportunity to veto the
nomination of one member in each Committee, if the Mayor is convinced.
viii. While the corporator in office would be the
ex-officio president of the four committees, a working-chairperson and a
minutes-drafting secretary should be elected in each committee at its first
annual session to assist the GHMC-appointed Secretary to the Ward Committees
who communicates the minutes regularly to the Commissioner and the Mayor for
consideration and follow up.
ix. The meetings shall be convened by the chairperson,
with due information to the President- Corporator and the GHMC Secretary, as
often as the chairperson deems it necessary; but there should be at least one
meeting every three months.
x. The quorum shall be five members of a Committee to
be deemed as a meeting to be valid.
xi. Along with other residents in the ward, including
the members of the other 3 Committees also should be allowed as observers. They
would be allowed to speak only if the chairperson permits. The family members
of the corporator would not be allowed even as observers.
xii. The life and work of the Committees will continue
till new committees to replace them are approved by the Municipal Council.
xiii. Any representation of the Committee to any other
body than GHMC should be forwarded through the GHMC Secretary. The Committee
can, further, demand the GHMC Secretary to invite the local officer of other
departments operating in the area, such as electricity, water, health,
transport, etc. to their meetings for clarifications and for better local
coordination in execution.
xiv. The members of the 4 Committees should not claim
any identity cards or receive any remuneration or speak in public on behalf of
the Committees.
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