From
Kamal Haasan
President, Makkal Needhi Maiam,
New No: 4, Old No 172,
Eldams Road, Alwarpet,
Chennai-600 018.
To
Chief Secretary, Tamilnadu Govt,
The Secretariat, St.George Fort,
New No: 4, Old No 172,
Chennai-600 018.
Makkal Needhi Maiam remains steadfast in its belief that decentralization is the key to good governance. Maiam has been consistently approaching with the concept of Federalism in the centre and autonomy in the Local Bodies. We constantly reiterate autonomy in the Local Bodies.
The participation of people during the Grama Sabhas clearly tells us the importance of local bodies. Hence, this petition comes as a request to enable the local bodies to start functioning with absolute powers.
Within the urban community, we are aware of Residential Apartments
Associations where the residents voice out the issues faced by them, like water supply, garbage clearance, sewage clearance, security of the premises, elevators and children’s play area. Periodic meetings are conducted with all the Residents.
Grievances are addressed and discussed promptly with the elected representatives. Income and expenditure details are transparently shared with the members, and resolutions are passed democratically in the forum. This forum helps the residents to understand the monthly logistics of maintenance charges paid. This is participative democracy in a private institution. Local bodies that function from the taxpayers’ money should have a better participative
democracy, which is the foundational belief of Makkal Needhi Maiam.
Grama Sabha meets at least four times a year and creates a platform for the representatives, people, and the staff of Village panchayat to come
together and discuss.
Makkal Needhi Maiam has been constantly working to create awareness on Grama Sabha in Tamil Nadu. Similar to Grama Sabha, to create participative democracy in urban local bodies, the Tamil Nadu government passed the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act 2010 (No.35).
This Act paves wat for Area Sabha and Ward Committee to be instituted for participative democracy in Corporation and Municipalities.
11 years hence, this has not been implemented because, the rules are yet to be formed and notified. Almost half of the population in Tamil Nadu lives in urban local bodies and they are being denied participative democracy.
Further, this amendment recommends Area Sabha and Ward Committee only for Corporations and Municipalities. Town panchayat has been excluded from this amendment. We request the Tamil Nadu Government to address this
exclusion.
Our neighboring States like Kerala and Karnataka have been successfully implementing Area Sabha and Ward Committee. States like Faridabad,
Haryana, Jaipur and Rajastan are in the process of implementation.
In Karnataka, the Bengaluru Corporation is allotted Rs.50 lakhs for Ward committees, thereby, making available Rs.120 crores. It is left to the discretion of Ward Committees to utilise the funds based on prioritization.
Such fund allocations should be made available to TN LOCAL BODIES too. If done so, issues like water supply, sewage clearance, rain water harvesting, garbage clearance, traffic regulation, protection of water bodies can be
prioritized according to the wards’ needs. When there is people representation in local bodies, genuine civic concerns can be addressed.
Legends like Kamarajar, Periyar and Rajaji began their political journey from local bodies. In order to create democratic participation from the younger
generation, such imementations will be highly effective. If implemented
honestly and properly, Area Sabha and Ward Sabka will become imperative aspects of local governance.
Makkal Needhi requests the TN government to get opinions and consensus from the people, NGOs, Political Parties and experts through a plebiscite.
The real democracy that Gandhi and Ambedkar dreamed of and the real revolution that Anna wanted could flourish only if the even the citizen from far corners of the States become a part of participatory democracy.
With the urban local body elections just conducted and the Elected
Representatives are about assume authority, we request you to formulate the necessary rules and regulations to implement Area Sabha and Ward
Committee.
KAMALHAASAN,
President – Makkal Needhi Maiam
