In an unfamiliar contest between adult administrators and minor subjects, the children had the last word. The event was the ‘Children's Ward Sabha' where young citizens registered their observations, problems and suggestions with élan. Sharing the stage with elected representatives and various stakeholders, the spirited children even got them to make a few commitments to act on issues plaguing the wards.
The Children's Ward Sabha was organised by the Concerned for Working Children (CWC), a child rights organisation, along with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) at Vigyan Nagar ward here on Thursday.
Issues raised
The issues that were raised ranged from lack of furniture and toilets in their schools to larger issues such as lack of anganwadis in some areas. Seetha, a student of APSA Kanasina Shale single-handedly managed to awaken the corporation about the depleting Vibhutipura lake.
Mahesh from Bhima Sangha (an organisation of working children), who along with his peers had done a detailed mapping of issues in Vigyan Nagar ward, said safety was an issue for women belonging to families of migrant labourers. He also spoke about the lack of purpose in admitting children to bala mandiras as their families' financial status remains the same .
Suresh from Shastry Nagar Tent School pointed out that in the Mahadevpura area there were no anganwadis or schools. He also complained that those who join tent schools have to start from the first standard irrespective of their age. “In slums around Abhaya Reddy Palya, Shivasandra and Basavanagar where hundreds of families reside, there is no electricity or drinking water. We have to walk two miles to collect water from the public taps as our parents leave for work early in the morning and we end up getting late for school,” he added. Radhika from Brindavan Tent School spoke on how there are no helpers in her school and teachers were cleaning toilets.
Some answers
During the answer session, Devraj, Joint Commissioner of the Mahadevapura zone, said that the water scarcity would be solved when Cauvery water supply arrives in the newly added areas within a year. As for drainage, he said 75 per cent of the work was complete. “We can construct toilets for schools, but maintenance is the school's responsibility.” Deputy Mayor S. Harish said construction of temporary toilets could be done, but people must treat BBMP property as their own.
