PLEASE CONNECT WITH YOUR RWA OR GRAM SABHA

Whenever a proposal is mooted to give direct power to people through RWA’s and Gram Sabha, then government argues that people will fight with each other. That people are divided in the name of religion and in the name of caste and, therefore, they can not be given power. History is proof that whenever people have demanded independence, then rulers have taken the refuge of “division between groups” as the reason to deny power to the people.

The English used division as a tool to rule the country. Instead of bridging the differences amongst people, rulers tried to widen the rift between them and then use this as an excuse to deny the power. Our leaders, the political parties and the government officers of our country are playing the same dirty game of religion and caste which drives a wedge of separation between the people. 

The first and the foremost duty, therefore, is to let the leaders know that we, the people, want the power back which was given to them on 26th January, 1950. They have misused the power and now we 
need to be free to bridge the differences amongst ourselves. 

Our second priority should be to start movements that bridge the differences created by caste, creed and religion in our society. Therefore, it is essential that people should start and get connected with Gram Sabha’s and RWA’s on village and city level. 

We have to ensure that our RWA’s and Gram Sabha’s are not the helpless recipients of dole distributor of the government. Dr. B. D. Sharma has made a suggestion as to how the meetings of Gram Sabha should start. 

First people should greet and know each other. 

They should discuss their personal problems with each other related to house, village or a city in which they live. 

They should then deliberate on personal, family, social and local problems that affect them. They should not only discuss the problems but also come up with solutions. People should find most of the solutions to their problems on the level of village or locality. For e.g.: if someone is very sick in one household, then members of the Gram Sabha should find methods to help him. This will help the people to bond together. More and more people then will come to Gram Sabha meetings. 

If Sarpanch of your village or the president of RWA calls for monthly meetings it is good, and if he does not do it, then, the members should themselves decide a date every month to meet, in which people from backward section of society should be invited. In the beginning few people will come but by consistent efforts people will start to come. This is what Gram Sabha is. Each individual member should be free to voice his problems. The discussions of problems and solutions and implementation will bond the people together. With passage of time, with solution in sight, the number of Gram Sabhas will increase. 

In every meeting the sarpanch should be invited. If he does not come in two three meetings, then, under the right to information act, get the information of works conducted in last few months and produce in front of the Gram Sabha assembly. It is very important that the open meetings should be conducted at regular intervals. Just like Gram Sabhas are organized in the same way meetings of RWA in the cities should be organized. The first requirement is that the people should connect with each other. They should establish a social relationship. Slowly discussions will takes place on local and national issues. 

After mutual discussions local ward councilors should be invited. He should be apprised of the experiments that are going on in connection with the RWA. If the councilor agrees then organize the association meetings with him and if does not agree even then keep meeting amongst yourself. In this connection you could know about various experiments that are going on for SWARAJ. This is the way differences between the people will be bridged. Until such times as political leaders and parties have the power in their hands they will keep driving wedges of division between the people. The day Gram Sabhas in villages and RWA’s in cities begin to meet together, that is the day when the journey to join together will start. 

Please let us know your experiences of organizing and working of Gram Sabhas and RWA’s through phone, e-mail or your letter. Our knowledge will increase with your experiences. If you want to change the picture of this country then we have to work together hand in hand. 

Control Over Municipal Corporation

We as tax payers have the right to spend our money on our own welfare. 

Any RWA can forward a proposal to Municipal Corporation, for consideration or implementation of any issue related to the RWA, provided two-third of the members has voted for the same. It would be mandatory for the municipal corporation to consider such a proposal forwarded by the RWA. This proposal could be for building roads or for a park or repair of walkways or for a community centre. As long as majority vote ratifies the proposal there is nothing unconstitutional in such a proposal. 

The government is spending our money indiscriminately without keeping our needs in perspective. We are demanding a change, in which we now tell the government what we want. 

RESPONSIBILITY

• Resident Welfare association will make sure that in their colony no one is without house, nobody sleeps empty stomach, no child is deprived off education and everybody gets adequate health facilities. 

• The relevant ward committees should have the same responsibilities as RWAs have. Ward committees while taking major decisions should take consent from the RWA before implementing the same. 

• The slum colonies located in a locality should not be uprooted until adequate provisions have not been made for rehabilitation under the government guidelines. No Objection Certification towards rehabilitation will be issued by the RWA. 

• Residents of villages existing in metropolis like Delhi must have the right of their own land. 

Economic Control

• Ward committee must have independent revenue. Ward committees should be empowered to impose and collect taxes, after mutual discussions and deliberations, for certain matters pertaining to the ward.

• Ward committees should get independent funds for development from Municipal corporation, state and central government, besides the tax that they collect independently from their ward. 

• What type of development work and where it should be carried out would be decided by the locality’s Association. 

• Unless the completion certificate is provided by the Locality’s Association, the contractor who has carried out the work should not be paid. 

• All decisions should be taken collectively by Locality’s Association in the meetings of the Association only. The elected members of the Association and the local government’s officer’s roles are limited to implementation of the decisions. 

• If representatives of an Association or ward members do not abide by the directions given by the local Association then the local Association must have the right to recall their representatives. 

• The local Association must have the powers to summon and ask government officers, assigned to their areas, like junior engineer, principal of school, managers of ration shops, health inspectors and medical superintendent to be present in the meetings of the Association. 

• If government employees, like teachers, health officer, sanitation workers, junior engineers posted in the locality of the Association do not obey the orders or do their bidding or carry out work carelessly then the Association of that locality must have powers to stop their wages or impose a penalty. There should be no need by the Association to seek permission from any agency to impose a penalty on such erring government employees. 

• If the ration shop of a locality is not distributing ration properly to its card holders then Association of that area must have powers to cancel the license of that shop. Then the Association would be empowered to issue license to a new party in tier own locality. 

Salient Provisions of the proposed Law

• Three thousand individuals (Voters) living in a specific locality of a city should be allowed to form an association. If population of any ward in the city is more than three thousand voters then each of the three thousand voters can form a separate association. People living in their geographical locations would be treated as members of that association. 

• One representative should be chosen from association of each locality with the help of election commission. 

• Representatives of all associations of localities in one ward will form a committee. This committee should be headed by the ward councilor or the Member of Legislative Assembly. 

• Management of all matters related to a locality should be carried out by the Association. Actions should be taken by the Association on all related matters of the ward by voice vote and mutual consent of the members of the ward. 

• Meetings of the Locality Association should be headed by a member of the locality. He should be the conduit for communication between the Locality Association and the ward  committee. It will be mandatory for him to accept all decisions of the Association. He cannot over look and by pass the Locality’s Association and takes independent decisions. 

• All decisions should be taken in the open house meeting of the Locality’s Association on monthly basis. If any decision has been taken elsewhere then the acceptance of that decision will have to be taken in the open meeting of the Association. 

Steps by the Central Government

There is a wide spread demand in Delhi for giving legal recognition to residents welfare associations. A draft of “Model Nagar Raj Bill” has been sent to all state governments by the central government last year in which it was requested that they should make necessary amendments, using their intellectual discretion, and pass the bill in their Vidhan Sabhas. This step is a big event of the central government. This is for the first time that resident welfare associations are being recognized as a unit of a city. But the sad part is that in draft of the central government, RWA have not been vested with real power.

Civil society members have rejected the current draft of Local government bill. Many prominent citizens like Mr. Prashant Bhushan, Lawyer of Supreme Court, Social worker Mr. Anna Hazare, Former Chief Secretary Mr. S. C. Bahar, have come up with a new draft for the Local government bill. Let us look at 
the prominent provisions of the “Local government bill” which is being demanded by the members of the civil society. 

Self Governance in Cities is essential too

It is defined in the constitution that Gram sabha is the common assembly of people living in a village. In spite of the fact that constitution recognizes the gram sabha yet the sabha has been vested with no power. Under self governance we believe that Government funds, government servants, government laws, actions that go towards making laws and natural resources should come under the control of people through the gram sabhas. Unfortunately any social set up of people living in the cities has no constitutional recognition or legal legitimacy. For this separate law will have to be drafted. 

Experiment in Delhi: 

This is true that Resident welfare Associations (RWA) has not been legally recognized but at many a places people have taken initiative and formed associations. It would be worthwhile to high light the 
initiative in Delhi. For a long time in certain areas of East Delhi, under the initiation of SWARAJ movement, local assemblies are being organized. The people are taking decisions in local matters of the government. Government officials and political leaders are getting those works implemented. This commendable work is being carried out in Trilokpuri and Sundarnagri ward of NDMC. Each ward has been divided in ten localities. Each locality meets once in one or two months. 

In these assemblies of people, under the aegis of self governance movement, officials of Municipal Corporations and representative of people join hands in the proceedings. How and where the money of corporation is to be spent is decided by the assembly of the people. Before this all these decisions were taken by few government officers and political leaders in “closed rooms”. But today the situation is such that any member of the assembly can raise his voice against problems related to water, electricity, roads, etc.

His demand is noted by the government officers and councilors, present in the meeting, who get the funds released for the same. In case the list of demands is long and adequate funds are not available then in the same meetings the priority of works is decided by the votes of the people, on the basis of which the work would be carried out. 

The councilors of Sundarnagari and Trilokpuri have already announced that the payment against the work carried out in their area would be made to the contractors only when local body expresses its satisfaction with the quality of work. This decision has improved the quality of work carried out in their areas. There are various social welfare schemes like pension for the old, physically challenged individuals and pension for widows. List for such residents is made in an open assembly. 

People are transparent and discuss among themselves as to who is the poorest and who should get benefit of these schemes first. Earlier this benefit used to accrue to near dears of the councilors. The governor of Delhi has congratulated the councilors who were conducting these types of meetings. He directed the local police officers to be present in such meetings. He also directed the commissioner of corporation to conduct such meetings in all areas of Delhi.