Kumar Madhukar
Chandigarh 6Aug 2023. The Executive Committee Meeting 
of FOSWAC (Federation of Sectors Welfare Association Chandigarh) was held at “People Convention Centre” sector 36 Chandigarh on Sunday 11th June 2023 under the chairmanship of Sh. Baljinder Singh Bittu. It was attended overwhelmingly by the federating members of Residents Welfare Associations. Mrs. Anindita Mitra IAS Commissioner Municipal Corporation Chandigarh was Invited ot listen to the grievances and possible solutions offered by different Resident Welfare Associations.Addressing the house Baljinder Singh Bittu Thanked Ms. Anindita Mitra,IAS, Commissioner M.C. Chandigarh for taking keen personal interest in making the city clean & beautiful.The efforts of higher ranking officials need to be appreciated for prompt, possible solution of the grievance but at the same time the ground level staff of the corporation is not doing much to stop the continuous flow of complaints. Cleaning in the sectors is not satisfactory, heaps of garbage and filth can be seen in every nook & corner because the sweeper cleaning the street doesn’t carry any cart to pickup the garbage rather he make heaps of it after few houses. Those who clean the road gullies also make heaps of filth just outside the road gullies, the same is not picked up for many days and become a breeding house for mosquitoes.The tractor trollies carrying horticulture waste should be equipped with multchers to crush the dry leaves and small branches so that their carrying capacity can be ulitilised to its full capacity.
About the flooding rain water, Baljinder Singh said some weak spots are not plugged upto the make and the same spots every year causes rain water havoc every year.
He further said that the residents are fedfup with the slogan of smart parking. Every time when the parking of vehicles is to be renewed, very big claims are made but every time the parking contact turns out to be scam. No Smart parking is seen on the ground. Bittu, appealed to the commissioner to not to implement the different parking rates for the vehicles coming from neighbouring states as this will create more problem for the vehicles of the Chandigarh going to other states.
J.S.Gogia Gen. Secretary said that the residents from many parts of the city are receiving muddy drinking water supply, which means contamination of water and may result in outbreak of some waterborne diseases.
Dr. K.S. Chaudary President RWA, Sector 38 W, spoke about the problem of the Dadumajra dumping ground which keeps on increasing with each passing day. After the collapse of the wall the garbage is covered with curtains and asbestos sheets. The work is far from satisfactory despite the tall claims made by the authorities.
Sh. K.L. Aggarwal President of RWA Sector 13, Duplex houses said that the cleaning in their sector is not satisfactory. There is lack of staff and equipment to do the work. He appeled to the Commissioner to provide some small sheds or some arrangement to keep the equipment of the gardeners deployed by the RWAs for the maintenance or upkeep of the neighbourhood parks.
Mr. Rajan Brar, Secretary Citizens’ Association Sector 21 said that the condition of sector 21 market is pathetic. Encroachments are at the peak, scooter/ Car mechanics had invaded the whole market as well as the parking area. The ladies of the sector can’t visit the market because of mechanic menace.
Besides localised issues, her attention was invited towards the general issues pertaining to the city on the following points:
➢ Supply of muddy drinking water: It is not localised but most of the sectors have reported it during this rainy season.
➢ The road gullies were not cleaned before rainy season.
➢ The construction work and laying pipelines bydigging the roads continue in rainy season. The contractors did not remove the heaps of soil dug, resulting in manmade flooding the rainy water in some of the houses in sector 35D.
➢ There is no improvement in supply of tertiary water for irrigation resulting in use of drinking water for irrigation.
➢ Parking issues: As we all know that the management of parks through contractors is neither in the interest of MCC nor the people are satisfied. There is another way to look at it to collect one time charges at sale point of vehicles and make it free parking to the public. MCC will earn many folds’ revenue and public will also be happy. It was also added that the differential parking rates is an ill conceived move and be withdrawn.
➢ Underground Community parking is the ultimate solution to the parking issue in congested area.
➢ Taxation issue: Our study shows that the taxes have increased many fold under all heads like parking, water & garbage charges, house property and services charges at Sampark Centres. (The e- stamp paper worth Rs 10 is being sold @ Rs 22.) Earlier all services at Sampark Centres were free to the residents. There is a need to re-visit this area.
➢ Garbage collection & processing needs to be reviewed. The contractor for southern sectors have the ghost labour which does not exist. The inner roads are not swept for weeks together. The speed of processing of garbage does not match with the daily collection, resulting in piling up the mountains of heaps.
➢ Last but not the least, the issue of not removing garbage dump from Dadumajra needs priority. There is way to search out the place in forest area, away from the human habitation.
➢ The weekly vegetable markets are being held on Kacha grounds where you cannot walk even besides no basic facility of wash rooms. This can easily be done by brick lining on ground with the tax being collected from the vendors with little cost.
The chief guest Mrs. Anindita Mitra gave a patient hearing toall feedback and replied that the localised problems shall be taken care of by the MCC. She reminded the house that while MCC will do their job on the main issue ensuring the processing of garbage but at the same time the residents should also cooperate to segregatethe garbage at collection point so that the processing could take care at site. She further reminded the duty of the citizens not to use plastic packaging in any form. They should carry cotton bags to the market for shopping.
The house also assured her to follow her advice in thee large interest of the society.
