Citizens as part of governance

Kathyayini Chamaraj has been pushing for better laws and rules to make ward committees more effective

CIVIC Bangalore, along with the RWAs of Sagayapuram and B. Narayanapura wards, did a pilot exercise in participatory people’s planning, budgeting and social auditing of municipal works in their wards. — FILE PHOTO: K.C. DEEPIKA

It was the need to do something on the ground to bring about change in the area where she lived that prompted her to establish the Shanthinagar Residents’ Development Association (SHRED) in 1996, which started one of the first door-to-door garbage collection services in the city through rehabilitated rag pickers. And Kathyayini Chamaraj, executive trustee, CIVIC Bangalore, has not stopped since.

A pilot study of the electoral rolls of Shanthinagar conducted by SHRED, which showed that the Polling Booth Areas (PBAs) were splintered and overlapping and not unique and geographically contiguous, led the Election Commission to redraw the PBAs of the whole city.

She was then invited to become a trustee of CIVIC Bangalore around 2002, and became its executive trustee in 2005.

“CIVIC’s main focus was implementation of the 74th constitutional amendment (CA) or the Nagarpalika Act for urban areas. Both aimed at bringing about inclusive development through reservation of posts for the marginalised in local bodies, decentralisation of powers and transparency, accountability and people’s participation. Formation of ward committees in municipal corporations was a key feature of the 74th CA to actualise this. We have been on the forefront, pushing for better laws and rules to make ward committees more effective,” Ms. Chamaraj said.

Some slums and wards, which she said were somehow lost “due to the continued preoccupation of municipalities with just roads, drains, flyovers, expressways”, also became the focus. “As ‘Planning for Economic Development and Social Justice’ was the chief function of municipalities under the 74th CA, I made CIVIC focus on the basic rights of the urban poor to food, housing, water, health, education, livelihood and social security,” she said.

This was in addition to working with RWAs on ward- and city-level civic issues. CIVIC, along with the local RWAs of Sagayapuram and B. Narayanapura wards, did a pilot exercise in participatory people’s planning, budgeting and social auditing of municipal works in their wards.

CIVIC has also been using the Right to Information Act to get the ‘citizens’ charters’ or the suo motu disclosures under Section 4 of each of the departments dealing with the basic rights of the poor, then organising grievance redressal meetings with the local jurisdictional officials of these departments.

Projects she is working on

Advocacy for effective implementation of the 74th constitutional amendment.

Empowering urban poor to access their basic rights.

Strengthening people’s participation platforms.

Suggestions to the government

Set up a committee to review the conformity legislation in the KMC Act for implementing the 74th constitutional amendment

Train BBMP councillors on the amendment.

Ask councillors to prepare a five-year ward vision plan.

Suggestions to Bengalureans

Demand your councillor to conduct ward committees meetings, and participate in them actively

Prepare a five-year ward vision plan.

Monitor the use of all ward resources such as CA sites, lakes and parks.