In a move that will puncture the Aam Aadmi Party’s proposed Mohalla Sabha, the BJP-ruled municipal corporations in Delhi are expected to revive the Resident Ward Committees (RWCs) in 272 wards.
The civic bodies plan to empower these RWCs financially so that they could carry out development works in their respective wards. Taking the lead, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation is set to grant Rs 52 crore annually to 104 RWCs within its jurisdiction. The announcement is likely to be made in the budget for the year 2013-14.
A senior leader of South Delhi Corporation said the concept of RWC already exists in Delhi and hence there was no need for creating Mohalla Sabha as it would only add to the multiplicity of agencies in the city.
“We have planned to grant Rs 50 lakh annually to each RWC. This will enable them to carry out development at the micro level,” he said. These residents’ bodies will be looking after maintenance and development of local parks, streetlights construction and repair of drains, footpaths and the like. The leader said the matter has been taken up with the North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations. They are expected to follow the suit.
The Resident Ward Committee was a brainchild of the Delhi BJP ahead of the Municipal Polls in April 2012 with an aim to woo RWAs by promising their participation in the decision making process in the municipal administration.
Earlier, the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi had approved in its budget an allocation of Rs 12,000 per annum for each RWA registered with the Residents Ward Committee (RWC scheme).
The incentive was announced to encourage more RWAs to join in the scheme. A separate allocation of Rs 34 crore was earmarked in the budget that was to be disbursed through the RWCs to strengthen public consultation in development works. Over 2,000 RWAs had signed up for the RWC Scheme for 80 RWCs.
However, the Corporation intended to form 272 RWCs. The RWC scheme has been constituted by involving one representative from each RWA within a ward and will be chaired by the local Municipal Councillor. It would also have a municipal official as member of the committee.