P C Batra

Times of India, August 06, 1999

Following the example of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, with the active participation of Praja, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has now come out with a 24 page citizens' charter booklet.

The booklet has been published under an arrangement with the Indian Express.  The concept of the citizen's charter is to facilitate rendering of better service by various agencies to through known standards of service for greater accountability and transparency in their working.  THe idea of the citizen's charter originated in the United Kingdom about eight years ago, and was first mooted in our country by the Citizens' Co-ordination Council, New Delhi (CCC), the primary apex organisation of consumer NGOs in India.

The main achievement of the charter is to tell the public about the hierarchy of municipal officers to whom they can complain regarding different types of grievances, starting with the complaint officers at the ward level, going in thereafter to the higher zonal, then to the deputy departmental heads at the city/suburbs offices and finally to the heads of the departments at the corporation level. They have also , thoughtfully, provided telephone numbers of the designated officers together with the addresses of ward offices.

Time frames for the redressal of some grievances have been given, for examplecollection and removal of garbage and complaints regarding leaky and burst waterlines, whilst no time schedules have been mentioned in case of road and pavement defects or complaints pertaining to storm water drainage and health department activities, such as request for spraying of insecticide, complaints regarding lack of hygienic conditions at way-side stalls and licensed restaurants or against cases of food adulteration.

However, it is not clear how a citizen should proceed or what will happen if his complaint is not redressed within the stipulated time frame.  No information is  also available regarding the activities of the licence and park and garden departments, the tree authority and the fire fighting department as also about the assessment department regarding payment of property tax etc.

A section on disaster management would have been useful which would indicate what a citizen shoudl do in emergencies like extensive flooding, out-break of fire, food poisoning, felling of road-side trees, breach of seawall etc.

Having brought out its charter, it will be to the ultimate advantage of MCGM itself if its popularises both the intent behind and teh contents of the charter itself through public meetings and debate.  Its credibility will be further enhanced if it invites and generally welcomes suggestions and feedback from the public and implements these wherever practicable.  The booklet doesn't bear a price tag.  However, it was available at the last meeting of Agni for Rs 10. One can approach MCGM or Praja for a copy.

The author is associated with the Consumer Guidance Society of India.