Hyderabad, November 25
Participating in the two-day conference leading experts and civic representatives stressed on the need for a greater role and representation for local peoples’ institutions like Residential Welfare Associations (RWA)s, in local self-governance and decision-making for managing infrastructure better.
Towards this they have demanded a Constitutional amendment to include RWAs in the 7th Schedule of the Constitution to enable them to receive Central and State funds and ensure greater role for RWAs in decision-making in government programmes and projects.
They were participating in the 6th National Conference of RWAs (NCRWA) on the “Role of RWAs in Swachh Bharat”, as the umbrella theme. Organized by the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (U-FERWAS) and the Confederation of RWAs (CoRWA), the apex body of RWAs India, about 150 RWAs from across the country, civic authorities and heads of RERA are participating in the two-day meet.
Deliberations at the 6th NCRWA revolve around six key topics:
- Swachh Bharat & RWA’s Role
- Solid Waste Management
- Urban Housing & RERA implementation
- Urban living, Transportation and Challenges
- Constitutional Recognition & Powers to RWAs
- Emerging trends in Civil Society
“State governments or the ruling political dispensation is always anxious to take up its own welfare schemes and use up all finances under the influence of local politicians. To remedy this weakness it is important to devolve the 18 functions mandated for transfer to ULBs under the 12th Schedule directly to local bodies. This is possible only if ULBs including RWAs are added to the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution making devolution of functions and funds to them mandatory”, stressed Dr Rao VBJ Chelikani, President, Confederation of RWAs (CoRWA).
“This is a must to enable a fourth tier of governance so that citizen participation in the management of not only physical infrastructure but also social infrastructure in their areas is possible,” the veteran civil society campaigner said addressing the gathering.
Echoing the thoughts, Col TP Tyagi, Convenor CoRWA, pointed out that though this issue had been raised earlier with the Union Housing and Urban Development minister by CoRWA and had even received a positive response, nothing has happened yet. “We have to fight for constitutional recognition for RWAs aggressively,” he stressed. People who have a stake in better management of local government programmes have no role in it. It is not surprise that many of these programmes do not succeed.
Later delivering the inaugural address, Shri Dana Kishore, Commissioner, GHMC, acknowledge the merit in the demand for including RWAs in the 7th Schedule of the Constitution but added the demand was concomitant with the duties that citizens themselves need to carry out.
Though Indian urban society has come a long way over the last 200 years in India, compared to local bodies in the West that have a history of 2000 years, there is still a lot of catching up to do, he observed.
Community engagement, protection for the residents, and loving your neighbours were the fundamental duties of the residents and RWAs, he stressed. If these are recognized and observed in spirit most problems that local communities face would disappear by themselves. For instance the population in Hyderabad has more than doubled in the decade between 2001 and 2011. Population management and people migration to urban areas is a consequence that RWAs can play an important role in addressing. “I would like to see RWAs engaged aggressively in most activities that we take up,” he said.
“Citizens and residents are permanent. Governments are temporary,” Dr Janardhana Reddy, Commissioner, HMDA, said addressing the gathering stressing that transformation therefore would have to come from within. It is difficult task but there is no option.
After a long time the trigger for one such action has come from the government of India in the form of the Swachh Bharat Mission which was launched on October 2nd 2014, he observed adding the Swachh Swarvekshan was an important component of the programme to involve the community to improve and include citizen participation.
Though still in its nascent stage RERA came in for major focus at the Conference with leading luminaries, Justice B Rajendran, Chairperson, TN RERA Appellate Tribunal, Shri Anthony de Sa, Chairman MP RERA Authority, and Shri Ramesh Prabhu, FPCE delivering the keynote addresses at a special session on Urban Housing and RERA Implementation.
The National RWA Awards was a major draw at the Conference with municipal commissioners from cities like Indore, Surat, Pune etc. nominating successful RWAs and their managers for the National Best Manager Awards apart from encouraging them to share their experiences and best practices.
Nearly 30 RWAs, ULB and individual received the awards under various categories like:
- Swachh Bharat and Greenery
- Protection of Environment Caring and Sharing, Harmony Acts of Bravery
- Solutions to Problems Faced by Women
- Exemplary Rules & Regulations
- Water & Waste Management
- Cultural Integration, Leisure, Arts & Games
- Financial Management
- Disputes Resolution & Innovative Use of Grievance Redressal Mechanisms
1 Comments
It was a fantastic event, a step forward, towards the process for a still stronger RWA movement, in the larger national interest, beside the interests of the States and the concerned Local Bodies. In fact, every citizen of the RWA or every RWA in the City or the Federations of RWAs should be a part of such a gigantic effort to bring all the RWAs together.
ReplyDeleteHearty congratulations to all those involved for successful conduction of the prestigeous event.
The deliberations took place in the 6th NCRWA, largely reflects the plights of the people at large across the country. Hence, the topics discussed in the Conference are to be pursued further and to be taken up in the required levels for its solvation, instead of leaving the deliberations aside at the doorstep of the venue itself.
Further, it would be very wise enough to keep a note of all the points discussed and submit a action taken report on these issues, before the next i.e., 7th NCRWA, in the larger interest of the RWA movement.
I feel proud to be a part of the RWA movement through CoRWA and APFERWAS.
Hope all the needful will be taken up in that direction.
With high regards