Community Participation through Ward Committees in West Bengal

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Community Participation through Ward Committees
in West Bengal

• Prabhat Kumar Datta
•  Centenary Professor of Public Administration,
  Calcutta University Advisor, Institute of Local
  Government Urban Studies, Government of West
  Bengal and Chairperson, State Level Technical
  Advisory Group, JNNURM, West Bengal

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• Three modes of community participation
  through programmes like SJSRY (CDS), SSA (WEC)
  through specific activities like solid waste
  management, implementation of works in slum areas
  and through Ward Committees
• Relatively long tradition of participatory
  governance in urban areas in the form of
  citizens councils in Chandananagar Municipal
  Corporation Citizens Committee with its
  branches at the ward level formed in 1950 still
  very activethey work together

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• Residents committees in newly developed towns at
  the spontaneous initiative of the citizens Salt
  Lake.
• The WCs constituted in all ULBs irrespective of
  the size of the population thus a departure
  from the 74th Amendment of the Constitution
• Members nominated by the municipality and the
  councillors preference being given to the
  teachers, engineers, sportspersons, doctors and
  actors.

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• The nominations made subjected to scrutiny by the
  Ward Committee in the general body meeting.
• Total numbers depending upon the size minimum
  being 7 7 for small ULBs with 2500 population
  one each for 500 population but not exceeding 17.
• The representation of the CDS the Councillor to
  nominate 2 from the CDS in case the total number
  is 79 3, in case of 1017, the CDS getting
  statutory recognition.
• The elected councillor is the chairperson.
  assisted by the member secretary to be elected in
  the first meeting of the WC.

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• Total numbers depending upon the size minimum
  being 7 7 for small ULBs with 2500 population
  one each for 500 population but not exceeding 17.
• The representation of the CDS the Councillor to
  nominate 2 from the CDS in case the total number
  is 79 3, in case of 1017, the CDS getting
  statutory recognition.
• The elected councillor is the chairperson.
  assisted by the member secretary to be elected in
  the first meeting of the WC.
• The WCs to prepare plans and prioritise schemes
  annual and half yearly plans to be integrated
  into the district plan document.

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• Validated in the general meetings of the WCs
  experiences.
• DDP in Kolkata Metropolitan Area now rolled out
  to non-KMA ULBs.
• Lot of enthusiasm and the citizens contributing
  to the development agenda involvement of all
  segments of the population experiences.
• WC representatives airing dissatisfaction
  over the allocation of funds by the municipality
  after the submission of the DDP in the AGMs.

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• Taskbased sub-committees in many Ward Committees
  of bigger size.
• Two kinds of meetings ordinary meetings of the
  WC once in month and general meetings of the
  entire electorate of the ward, twice in a year.
  In October November and June public
  disclosure through circulation of papers.
• The general meetings still to gather adequate
  momentum lack of citizens awareness and
  adequate political attention in some cases.

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• Attendance increases through house-to-house
  campaigns and formal invitation through cards.
• Some ULBs checking proceedings of the meetings
  before allotting money to the wards producing
  desired results.
• Incentive fund to five good-performing ULBs in
  2006 out of SFCs money one of the parameters
  was the functioning of the WCs.
• Some ULBs promote competition among the WCs by
  giving the incentive fund uneven playing field.

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• A few ULBs organize Ward Conventions Interface
  between and among Wards.
• Holding of referendum on the issue of cutting
  of trees in Siliguri the voting was held
  through ballot on a Sunday.
• Senior Citizens Council to enlist participation
  of the senior citizens innovative idea senior
  citizens taking active interest.
• The proceedings of the WC meetings being put up
  in a conspicuous public place to ensure wide
  publicity and transparency public disclosure.

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• The WC responsible for a wide range of
  supervisory and monitoring functions within the
  Ward, such as, detection of violation of the
  various provisions of the Act, unlawful
  construction, public nuisance.
• The Municipality or the Borough Committee may
  also direct the Ward Committee to monitor and
  supervise a number of activities including
  assessment and collection of property tax,
  maintenance of roads, parks increase in the
  collection of property tax in recent times.

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• The WCs to advise on the new areas of resources
  to be tapped and new activities to be undertaken
  for non-tax for resource mobilization.
• The additional resources raised to be spent in
  the concerned ward excluding the cost of
  collection incentive to take initiative.
• Non-tax revenue mobilization maintenance of the
  local water-bodies, ponds, particularly the
  unused ones. Being taken up by the WCs the
  unused ponds being leased out to the local
  unemployed population for pisciculture.

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• House-to-house distribution of water tax bill by
  the WCs little earning through conservancy
  support to the private houseearning by
  maintaining the ferry-ghats.
• WCs with the co-operation of the citizens being
  involved in solid waste management through SWMC
  Kanchapara experience the CDS being engaged to
  do this job.
• The Ward Committee involved in disaster
  management programmes allotment of some funds.
• The WCs being entrusted with the minor repair
  work of roads sharp reactions from the
  contractors associations.

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• The Beneficiary Committees constituted by the WCs
  to help them supervise and monitor
  implementation of the development schemes.
• The findings of the studies Datta, ISS, STRUG.
• Some of the councillors hold meetings in their
  own houses. A recent amendment requires the ULBs
  to provide office being done in the KMA areas.
• The work has started in the KMA ULBs out of the
  DFID funds.

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• The use of the office The office remains open in
  the mornings and in the evenings senior
  citizens do it.
• Solid waste management equipments kept in the
  office.
• Some services such as the birth and death
  certificates delivered.
• Local problems such as conflicts between
  neighbours are attended and resolved.
• In some ULBs the WCs get some money from the fund
  placed at the disposal of the concerned
  Councillors.

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• The meetings of the WCs held regularly. Meetings
  are usually attended by the three-fourths of the
  members.
• The issues discussed relate primarily to the
  services and developmental activities in the
  Wards. The interface between the CDS and the WCs
  still to make effective imprint discussing
  issues of public concern regular feedback to
  the WCs.

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Major Problems

• Many of them are yet to realise the
  constitutional legal status of the body and the
  usefulness of the institution in municipal
  governance.
• Lack of training of a large majority of the
  members.
• Deficient participation of women even in
  women-headed WCs.

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• Enlightened members tend to be guided by the
  narrow and traditional perception about the role
  of the municipalities the constitutional
  perception absent.
• Lack of effective linkage between the WCs and the
  municipality.
• The absence of WCs office non-availability of
  members to the local citizens in specific public
  place.
• Human resource development in general relegated
  to a secondary place in these DDPs.
• Attendance of members in the general meetings not
  very satisfactory improving at the DDP stage.

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Suggestions for improvement

• Arrangement of office space and some contingent
  funds for all WCs
• More involvement of the senior citizens and
  allotment of specific job to them.
• Larger induction of women in the committees, if
  necessary through reservation of seats.
• Adequate training to all the members for helping
  them perceive their roles preparation of
  literature about the WCs in local language.

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• Distribution of leaflets among the general
  citizens about the role of the WCs in order to
  generate their interest
• Printing the papers to be circulated in the
  general meetings.
• Effective interaction between the ULBs and the
  WCs twice in a year on the eve of the general
  meetings.
• The formation of the beneficiary committees to be
  encouraged for enlisting involvement of larger
  number of citizens.

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• Regular interaction between the WCs and the
  Beneficiary Committees.
• The annual general meetings should be held after
  giving wide publicity, if necessary through the
  local cable TV network wherever available
  attendance better when the WC members approach
  each household individually.
• Face-to-face interaction between the general
  members and the WC members construction of dais
  and podium to be avoided to bridge the distance
  between the WC and the citizens.

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• The members known for holding views against the
  party controlling the board to be encouraged to
  speak freely and frankly without intervention.
• Elected WC may be a source of conflicts better
  to make a judicious mixture between elective and
  nominated elements.
• New experiment of this kind will take time to
  strike roots in the in post-colonial society.
  no reasons to be pessimist.

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Thank You All