BMC against devolving power to citizen groups

Mumbai: Amidst disagreements over the role that local citizen groups should play in civic affairs, the BMC has decided not to empower such associations to collect fines from anyone found spitting, littering and violating norms for disposal of solid waste.

The Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2006, are intended to ensure the city is kept clean by preventing littering and enabling segregation and disposal of solid waste. In keeping with the trend of citizens' participation in civic governance, the civic body had signed a charter which would have allowed Local Area Citizen Groups in each ward to impose fines. But due to differences of opinion among various NGOs involved in civic affairs, it has now decided to review the proposed arrangement.
R A Rajeev, recently appointed additional municipal commissioner in-charge of solid waste management, said the rules had anyway not been approved by the BMC's general body and hence could not be implemented. "The fines cannot be collected unless approved by the House. What's more, several of the NGOs have objected to the roles they have been given,'' he said. The administration will reframe the rules and introduce new ones to increase fines to be imposed on litterbugs before the proposal is brought before the BMC house, Rajeev added.

The decision would deal a blow to the seven-month-old NGO Council which was party to the original charter signed by the BMC. The Council was formed in December 2005 as an interface between the BMC and NGOs on the initiative of former additional municipal commissioner Subrat Ratho and Vinay Somani of the NGO, Karmayog. As per a March 2006 draft, it was to play a major role in civic governance through the LACG system.

The local area groups were to be authorised to collect administrative charges on behalf of the BMC, receive funds from the BMC to get roads swept, collect waste and carry out composting subject to approval from the BMC's standing committee. The NGO Council was to also carry out training of BMC staff, civic agents, schools, housing societies and others to create awareness about cleanliness.

However, several NGOs were unhappy with the concept pointing out that instead of being watchdogs, they were being co-opted into the establishment. Some of them including AGNI, Citispace, Dignity Foundation, Loksatta objected to the "unilateral'' manner in which the council was formed. In a letter to the municipal commissioner, eight of them had pointed out that there was no document of agreement between the 69 organisations shown as council members. Some of them have even chosen to opt out.

However, Somani said the objective of the Council was not to restrict the activity of any NGO but rather help organisations to network and coordinate on various city issues.