JOIN USBJP-ruled civic agency apes citizen fund of AAP govt
Ahead of the civic polls early next year, the North Corporation has taken a leaf out of the AAP government’s participative governance book by planning to give financial powers to RWAs.
Virtually copying the Swaraj Fund experiment of the Arvind Kejriwal government, the civic agency has decide to allot Rs 25,000 each to the 2,080 registered Residents’ Welfare Associations in its jurisdiction for improvement of parks, drains and streets.
The proposal is nothing short of an attempt to dangle a carrot at RWAs - in the name of self-governance – with political motives. Also, it is timed just before the civic polls which will mark the AAP’s debut in a municipal contest.
A brain child of Parvesh Wahi, chairman of the powerful Standing Committee, the scheme is aimed at helping councillors connect better with citizens by engaging them in governance.
“Street lights could also be repaired by RWAs at their own level with the new fund,” said a Standing Committee member.
According to Wahi, the RWAs would prioritise the development works in their colony and help the civic agency involve them in decision making.
The Standing Committee Chief has allotted Rs 5.20 crore in the RWA fund for extending financial powers to the registered citizen bodies.
The Opposition Congress has slammed the small amount of grant for the RWAs and called it a copy of the Sheila Dikshit government’s Bhagidari scheme that involved RWAs.
“The BJP and the AAP are both copying the Congress model of empowering RWAs,” said Leader of Opposition Mukesh Goel.
The introduction of the RWA Fund is just one of the governance models that the BJP-ruled civic agencies have adopted after seeing their success in the AAP government.
Just like the AAP government’s pre-budget exercise, the South Corporation’s budget presentation for the year 2016-17 was preceded by public consultations.
The social media savvy AAP leaders have also inspired Mayors of civic agencies to start their personal complaint-receiving Whatsapp groups.
Influenced by the AAP style of reminding people about its government’s achievement’s, Delhi BJP chief and Malviya Nagar councillor has started putting up big sculpture-type plaques in public parks with “Foundation of Change” and his name inscribed on them.
The AAP effect is also visible on the recent decision by BJP leaders of House asking councillors to step out of their house during rain and attend to water logging complaints.
This seems modelled on the AAP government’s decision to task ruling party MLAs to visit area hospitals and government schools.
The civic leaders of the BJP also did not hesitate in holding the first ever joint session of the three municipal corporations in Ramlila Maidan, especially, after Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers chose to taken oath in the same ground and held open-air cabinet meeting in central park in Connaught Place.