Councillor Mishra introduces direct democracy to the “hell” of an unauthorized colony
Conducts third Mohalla Sabha meeting in a fortnight at Sonia Vihar ward
New Delhi, Kumar’s eyes brim with tears as he shows a dark brown scar on his left leg to Annapurna Mishra, Sonia Vihar councillor, and a gathering of about 50 people from his neighbourhood.
The 19 year old boy is barely able to explain in a choked voice that he has been attacked more than once while trying to fill his bucket with water from a public tap that his Gali No.10 (block-A) shares with the neighbouring gali.
Public taps at Sonia Vihar being much fewer than needed, people often are ready to kill for drinking water.
“Main ek to tooti lagwaunga aur ek gali banwaunga (I must get a new public tap and a paved street),” he tells Mishra, like a child who demands to be compensated for being wronged.
Then he makes a profound statement: “Ye jagah nark hai (This place is a hell).”
No one among those who have gathered on this Sunday morning in the compound of ‘BR Model Public School’ at block-A of Sonia Vihar can disagree.
People of Sonia Vihar have been left to live alongside their own sewage and garbage; there is no drainage system, let alone sewers, and safai karmcharis don’t seem to lift a finger, let alone rubbish.
Galis of Sonia Vihar have large stretches of stagnant black-green water breeding mosquito larvae. Vacant plots of land have turned wholesale into pools of stagnant water. Stench fills the air.
Being an unauthorized colony, Sonia Vihar can neither receive development funds from the MCD nor MLA’s and Councillor’s own funds. However, the MLA and Councillor can jointly apply for funds that are sanctioned under the “Y head”.
“I am ready to bring as much ‘Y head’ funds as are needed for Sonia Vihar’s pressing needs. You will decide what your needs are and how you want to prioritize them,” Mishra tells her constituents at the third open Mohalla Sabha meeting that she has conducted in a week at this municipal ward in north-east Delhi.
Mishra’s mission: “I wish to change the system by letting people directly dictate their development. I will only carry out their orders.”
Last financial year, the local MLA and Mishra together brought Rs 3 crore for paving the galis, but it’s obviously not enough.
Om Prakash Singh of Gali No. 15 (block D) tells the Mohalla Sabha that he has been struggling to get his gali paved for last 15 years without success.
“They paved 10 galis in my neighborhood last year, but left ours. Why?”
Diwan Singh of block-C complains that his gali is being flooded with filthy water after the neighbouring gali was raised and paved. Munna Lal and Shiv Tiwari of block-E and Raviraj Sharma of block-A have similar complaints.
That highlights twin problems: Galis have been raised and paved without first providing for a system of drainage and the fact that only some of the galis, not all, have received the “grace”.
Ram Kinkar of block-B and Shiv Tiwari of block-E say no safai karmachari ever visits their areas. Raviraj Sharma adds that MCD has long stopped sprinkling anti-malarial and disease controlling chemicals in the area.
Mishra responds: “In two years of my tenure so far, I have fought hard with MCD to increase the number of safai karmacharis for SoniaVihar from 12 to 28. The fact is we need at least 400. For the time being, these 28 will have to be used as efficiently as we can.”
The Mohalla Sabha finally resolved that the safai karmacharis will be distributed between various areas and volunteers from those areas will supervise their work. Mishra promises the gathering that disease controlling chemicals will be started to be sprinkled regularly from next week.
Shrikant Tiwari of block-E, Sriramji of block-A, and several others complained that ration officials demand bribes for getting their ration cards made.
“I had submitted my application for ration card on 25 August last year. Since then I have been to ration office 8 times. They still have not issued my ration card,” says Tiwari.
Mishra says all ration wallahs have already been issued an ultimatum that they must end their corrupt practices in a month’s time or be prepared to face stern action.
“Fifteen days remain for them to change their ways. I am then bringing Assistant Commissioner (Food and Supply) and FSOs to this area. Each ration wallah will then face the public and their bosses.”
Kalawati of block-C tells the gathering that her husband suffers from TB at an advanced stage and so can’t work.
“I do beldaari work to earn Rs 50-100 daily. They have not issued me a ration card. There is money to be spent on my husband’s treatment. It’s difficult to support my family.”
Kapil, Mishra’s son who’s helping his mother organize Mohalla Sabha meetings, informs the gathering that MCD gives financial assistance to TB patients and he will try to get that assistance for Kalawati’s husband on the basis of his medical records.
Renu Tiwari of block-A says she will also need financial assistance for getting her daughter married.
Mishra responds by saying that MCD does provide such assistance. Renu Tiwari will need to apply with a copy of the invitation for the marriage ceremony.
Vir Bahadur Mistri and Ram Prassan say there are no street lights in their galis.
Kapil, Mishra’s son, responds: “Some areas don’t have street lights because there are no transformers there. We are following up with BSES. This work will surely be done.”
Diwan Singh of block-C points out that senior secondary school of the area has long been dysfunctional because of shortage of teachers.
“Although that school is run by Delhi government, not MCD, it’s my promise that we’ll speak with the MLA to get more teachers. You could expect results in 3-4 weeks’ time,” responds Mishra.
Ram Kinkar of block-B and Suman Mishra of block-A say their galis have no tooti (public tap). Arun Kumar and Ravi Raj Sharma (both of block-A) say there is no public tap from “Bhagat ji Mandir to Vinod Chaudhary’s home”.
“Shortage of drinking water is to be addressed by Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which is outside my jurisdiction. The MLA knows better. So I’ll speak with him,” Mishra tells the Mohalla Sabha.
As for drainage of water, Mishra points out that construction of nullahs along galis had already begun on two sides, but the work could take some months to complete.
“Drainage is the most pressing need of Sonia Vihar. The work has begun. While it lasts, it could be even more inconvenient to you. But we’ll have to bear with it. I promise you that we’ll have a functional drainage system by the time the work is complete.”
For the paving of galis, Mishra says she and the MLA will shortly be meeting with Engineer in Chief of MCD to discuss funds under the ‘Y head’.
“This time Y-head funds will be used not on what MLA and I like or think important, but on what you identify and prioritize as your needs. If you say a gali should be paved, it will be paved. That will be the big difference from the past.”
Mishra also promises that a contractor will be paid only after the people of the area express satisfaction with the quality of his public work.
“I have identified a land for building an MCD dispensary and also propose to build a community centre here,” she added.
Finally, Mishra has a big promise to make.“After the rainy season, we plan to start our campaign for regularization of Sonia Vihar. Be prepared for dharnas and demonstrations.
I need your cooperation.”
Mohalls Sabha voices support, as if saying, ‘we want more power over our lives and will no longer put up with hell’.
About ‘Mohalla Sabha’ meetings
A Mohalla Sabha is the body of all adult citizens (i.e. registered voters, in legal/formal sense) of a smaller residential unit (an area, block, or colony) in a municipal ward.
The meeting of a ‘Mohalla Sabha’ is an open meeting of local citizens (i.e. members) with their ward councilor and some local MCD officials.
Every household of the area/block/colony is sent a written notice of the meeting in advance.
The councillor tries to ensure the presence of MCD officials who will be required to respond to citizens’ queries and complaints.
As the councilor and local MCD officials listen, the citizens collectively discuss and debate their problems, suggest solutions, and decide what facilities/public works they want. They citizens also decide who among them is most deserving of government aid or social security benefits.
All decisions are taken either consensually or through voting.
The citizens are able to directly question the councillor and local MCD officials present.
The councillor and the officials, on their part, respond to complaints and questions; they also offer clarifications and solutions. The councillor also commits himself/herself to the things that he/she can do or will try to do and points out to the things that are outside his/her jurisdiction.
The councillor also makes a commitment that contractors will be paid only after the local people have expressed satisfaction with the public work in question.
The principle governing the Mohalla Sabha meeting is: citizens will decide what they want and their representative (i.e. the councillor) will merely carry out their will within the limits of his/her jurisdiction, the law, and the availability of funds.
The minutes of the meeting, including the decisions taken, are signed by each participant, and copies are sent to each household of the area.
The participants also decide the time and place of the next Mohalla Sabha meeting in which the councilor will present a report of the progress on implementation of the decisions taken earlier.
In addition to the written notice of a Mohalla Sabha meeting, the councilor also sends at least one letter a month to each household of the area, informing them of the progress on the tasks that were set for him in the last meeting.
