A peek into the inner workings of RWAs as they battle the Coronavirus

These Associations offer three points to ponder: Decentralisation can often end up creating the opposite of what is intended; neighbours play a part in your growth much more than you realised; and safety of residents is any day more important than celebrating a milestone

July 04, 2020 11:48 pm | Updated July 05, 2020 05:35 pm IST

C risis management will automatically lead to a form of decentralised functioning. The 2015 Chennai 2015 floods caused RWAs to form quick and convenient groups that would fan out to surrounding areas and carry out relief work. With the helpers and the helped often making up clearly distinguishable groups, and overlaps being a rarity, that exercise was an organic possibility.

The pandemic is a different kettle of fish, where the helper is also battling the crisis intensely, sometimes at multiple levels. So now, while assigning a responsibility to an internal group, RWAs have to be conscious of the load that may be brought to bear on it, and check if it would break the proverbial camel’s back.

A deliberation by the Executive Committee at Victoria Towers in Kazhipattur, Old Mahabalipuram Road was ruled by this consideration. Suresh Dhayalan, secretary, Victoria Towers Owners Welfare Association points out that the executive committee was deliberating on forming an emergency response team, consisting of doctors and other residents who are engaged in hospital management.

“As we debated the question, we felt that it would be unfair to add to the doctors' burden by expecting them to meet the demands of an ERT. They are already under constant pressure; and then whether they are part of an ERT or not, they would still help other residents, support staff and even vendors by offering them medical advice when sought, as they have already demonstrated it. So, the Executive Committee decided to not transfer the pressure to the doctors,” explains Suresh.

“Besides, we looked at it from a management viewpoint: The greater the degree of rotation, the more inefficient the system becomes. So, we did not want to add an additional layer and slow down the system. So, it was decided that the Executive Committee would continue to spearhead all functions, including emergency response, by being the link between in-house experts and other residents.”

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A meeting point of vertical and horizontal living

On sections of OMR, independent houses would be thrown into stark relief, because amidst towering giants, their presence seems almost miraculous. A patch of Sholinganallur — consisting of Elcot Avenue-Kumarasamy Nagar, Clasic Gardens and Clasic Farms (not a typo, that's how 'Classic' is spelt) — evokes exactly that sense of the miraculous. There are 11 gated communities, each with its own associations; and two locality-based associations. The gated communities are often in the thick of things, through their community and volunteering activities, causing one to infer that the independent houses along with their associations are hopelessly lost in the shadow of the giants.

Ramaswamy Rangachari, who is president of Clasic Farms Owners and Residents Association and Secretary-cum-Treasurer of Clasic Gardens Owners Association, Kumarasamy Nagar, says, “That is an unavoidable impression as the gated communities have done exemplary work in certain areas, most notably solid waste management, but the locality-based associations have played their part too. Pre-dating the gated communities, they drove initiatives in ensuring that this section of Sholinganallur received proper roads and street lights.”

Ramaswamy points out that there is a form of informal federal system that throws the RWAs together while allowing each to retain their individual character and focus.

Ramaswamy elaborates, “There is an overall community group where issues pertaining to the region are discussed. Information is shared to benefit everyone. This system is proving hugely useful during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The gated communities are successful in bringing in vendors supplying fruits and vegetables, as they offer scale rightaway, an inviting factor for any supplier. It benefits residents of locality-based associations too, and during the mango and palm fruit season, we could get them easily due to these vendors. Now, there are 13 coordinators from the gated communities who ensure supplies of vegetables fruits come into the region, in some cases fresh from the farms.”

When a milestone was allowed to walk by uncelebrated

When the milestone year is just a hair's breadth away, grand plans are drawn up to welcome it. A curveball crashes into the carefully-chosen cart of plans, and as they lie shattered, the milestone year squeezes past a stunned and disappointed group. That scenario meshes with the mood of the Choolaimedu Exnora, which has to let its 20th year pass by without a celebration due to the pandemic.

“We couldn’t make it possible to celebrate our success of 20 years of service towards society,” reads a communication from president A. Panneerselvam and secretary S. Kasturi Rangan to all members of Choolaimedu Exnora. “Thanking all the members for their valuable contributions and support during these 20 years and hope that as dedicated members they will continue to serve to the society in every possible manner,” continues the note that was shared with The Hindu Downtown by Kasturi Rangan.

The communication emphasised the necessity of staying safe by staying at home, and by choosing to let the milestone pass by without a celebration, it seemed to be walking the talk .

(Straight From The Executive Committee is a column that follows decisions made by executive committees of residents welfare associations, with the objective of enabling a culture of shared learning among Chennai’s residents’ groups)

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