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Better city? We must all get involved
THE ONLY way Mumbai can truly become a global city is by going
local. Neighborhood communities can provide government agencies
with valuable information about localities and create awareness
and provide feedback to enable better delivery of government services.
This can include cleanliness, public amenities, footpaths, road
repairs, traffic suggestions, garden adoption, trees, care, beautification,
encroachments and hawking.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has indeed notified
the MCGM-Local Area Citizen Group Partnership Charter (with effect
from April l, 2006) as an institutional basis for such a formal
structure of citizen-civic interaction but has not popularized this.
Very few LACGs have been registered. As we are all aware, civic
elections are going to be held for the 227 wards in the city.
The LACG Charter provides for a committee in each of the wards
comprising the elected corporator citizen memeorporator formally
representing the locality invited officers from other government
agencies such as traffic police, with a BMC official acting as a
nodal officer
The Charter provides for the joint preparation but this committee
of a status report of the various civics issues that would then
become the base document for project-planning and problem resolution
for the area
The Charter vides for a commit-tee in each of the wards comprising
the elected corporator, , citizen members formally representing
the locality, invited officers from other government presenting
the agencies such as traffic police, with a locality, invited BMC
official acting as a nodal officer.
All public complaints and suggestions, whether received by phone,
email, internet form, S1VIS, fax or letter, are to be recorded via
the under-implementation citizen's portal and be escalated upwards
in : the BMC hierarchy if not resolved within specified : time periods.
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The action taken reports are to be accessible to the ! complainant
and LACG concerned.
The BMC is to share its plans in advance with the ' concerned LACGs,
including work orders and permissions given to utilities for road
excavation, to enable LACGs to comment on it, prepare for it, and
ensure that the work is done in a timely manner.
The working of individual LACGs is to be reviewed : every quarter
by residents of that area via formal : feedback reports or through
periodic Open House ' Meetin,gs of the community.
This" would ensure that the LACG committee is ' working to
fulfil the needs of the broader community, and for it to be held
accountable to and be supported : by the areas residents.
Though such a system, local problems can be identified and resolved
quickly and optimal solutions can be found for various civic-related
matters consistent with overall policies,plans,procedures and projects
for the entire city
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