Social group wants RWC for Gurgaon to ensure Transparency
Social group People’s Action wants the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) to be made stronger with better infrastructure, otherwise development work will be affected as its staff keeps shifting from one department to another. So it asked for a Residents’ Ward Committee (RWC) for Gurgaon on the lines of Delhi to improve civic governance and increase citizen oversight on performance of the municipality.
The RWC will meet once a month and the minutes of the meeting will be sent to the mayor. It is like a unified command centre that will work to make the local government more efficient. This will ensure transparency, accountability and responsibility as councillors will be answerable to members about issues taken up by them. It will try to form a working relationship between councillors and citizens.To ensure transparency, all notifications, letters and other documents will be posted on the RWC website.
“The Delhi model will be replicated in Gurgaon and it will be easier as the numbers of wards here are much less compared to 272 in the Capital,” said People’s Action founder Sanjay Kaul.“It is an integrated model of planning with a representative of each RWA in the ward of the RWC. It is a democratic way of working with councillors, as the chairperson of its respective ward committee and one convener chosen with majority of votes within the committee,” added Kaul.
Those who attended the dialogue include Joint Action Forum of Resident Associations (Jafra), DLF City RWA, Mayfield Garden RWA and Kishore Asthana rom Sushant Lok, among others. Jafra chairperson Col. (Retd.) Ratan Singh lamented that the MCG lacked sufficient staff and of those employed, many were deputed from other departments.
“This is all about capacity building, where the benefit is mutual for residents as well as the government. This is the age of aggregation where the more you consolidate the more you aggregate, and the chances of your being heard increase simultaneously,” said Shashi Sharma of People’s Action. “Here, people will rise above individual interests and work at the ward level,” added Sharma.
Atul Goyal who is handling the Delhi chapter, said it will help fill the gap between planning and execution and restore transparency in various departments. Kaul said they will strategise to break the resistance expected from the councillors in making this model a reality. It took over three years to develop in Delhi.
civic governance, Delhi, Delhi model will be replicated in Gurgaon, Gurgaon, Joint Action Forum of Resident Associations, MCG Gurgaon, Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon, People's Action, Residents Welfare Associations, Residents' Ward Committee, RWAs, RWC, Social group, Social group People's Action, Transparency
TO:
1. Mr Praveen Kumar
Chief Administrator
HUDA – Gurgaon
2. District Town Planner, HUDA, Gurgaon.
3. DHBVN – Gurgaon/ Hisar/ Panchkula
5. MCG – Gurgaon
6. Fire Department – Gurgaon
7. Excise Commissioner – Gurgaon
8. Income Tax Department – Gurgaon
9. Sales Tax & Service Tax – Gurgaon
Sub: Complaint of legal violations – illegal construction/electricity theft,misuse of domestic electric connection for commercial purpose, of Hotel in Sushant Lok-1 C Block
Respected Mr Praveen Kumar Ji,
I am a resident of Sushant Lok-1 C Block and want to submit my the following complaints :
1. Complaint to District Town Planning HUDA Gurgaon : Illegally constructed Hotel Called ELYSIUM RESTAURANT & RESORTS (SAMAN RESORTS). This Hotel has been illegally constructed on land allowed only for residential usage. It is near to C1-2801 in Sushant Lok1.
I hereby submit my formal complaint to HUDA Gurgaon, to raze the illegal structures built up in this so called Elysium Restaurant.
2. Complaint of uncivil environment created by the Hotel staff & visitors : Sir, all kinds of illegal activities are going on there day and night and it is being visited by many unscrupulous elements of the nearby villages. All kinds of Gunda Elements visit this place and this place has become a den of illegal activities like drinking alcohol in open during all hours of day and night. They keep on hosting private parties there and loud music is playing all the time even till late in the night. This hotel called Elysium restaurant has become a headache for the nearby residents like us. It has become very unsafe for the women, ladies and girls to roam freely in the vicinity as this Hotel and its surroundings.
3. Complaint to Municipal Corporation Gurgaon : Not only this, they throw the garbage around including the leftover food that attracts stray dogs and cows making it unsafe for senior citizens and children. There have been many incidents of dog bites in the area.
4. Complaint to DHBVN Gurgaon/Hissar & Panchkula : The electricity connection seems to be of a residential house but the electricity is being used for commercial purpose. This is a gross violation and against the DHBVN policies. A raid should be immediately conducted at this place by the vigilance department of DHBVN & FIR be lodged against the power theft and misuse.
I also submit a copy of this complaint to DHBVN Gurgaon to cut the electricity connection of this plot ASAP and slap appropriate fine on the Hotel / owners of the plot for using the domestic electrical connection for commercial purpose. There is rampant theft of electricity going on in this premises by way of “HOOKS” and “CUTS” of the main electrical wiring. Not only this they are selling the electricity to the neighboring “JHUGGIES” whose rent they are collecting in an illegal matter. These Jhuggis also seem to be on HUDA land.
5. Complaint to Excise Department Gurgaon/ Panchkula : I also submit this complaint to the Excise Department Gurgaon for conducting raids during night parties as they don’t have permit to serve alcohol there. They also are keeping huge illegal stocks of alcohol and possibly some narcotics also.
6. Complaint to the Food & Drugs Inspector Gurgaon: as this Elysium Hotel is running with a proper Hotel license.
7. Complaint to Fire Department Gurgaon : This place is running a Hotel without proper fire extinguishing equipment and arrangements, there are large number of commercial LPG cylinders kept in the Hotel in a very unsafe storage, this place is a big fire & explosion hazard for the nearby residents.
8. Complaint to Sales Tax/ Service Tax & Income Tax Departments : The owners of this place are running everything illegal, they are not be paying a single rupee to the Govt in the form of Sales Tax, Service Tax and Income Tax. Not only this the persons who are recieveing the rent of this place which is in lacs per month are not at all showing it as their income and are evading income tax.
Might is right has become the keyword for these people as they are locals and are running their illegal business with connivance & greasing the palms of the lower cadre staffers.
I hereby urge all the concerned departments to conduct a joint raid on these premises and ensure that this den of illegal activity is sealed as soon as possible.
Expecting an urgent action.
A Concerned Resident and follower Anna Hazare