Date:04/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/04/stories/2006070417550300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Corporators urged to replicate best urban practices

Staff Reporter

Administrative Staff College faculty member makes power-point presentation

OVER TO CITIZENS: Mayor Tadi Sakuntala releasing a booklet brought out by the Municipal Corporation in the city on Monday. Administrative Staff College of India faculty member V Srinivas Chary (extreme left), Deputy Mayor Ch Krishna Kumar, VMC Commi ssioner Natarajan Gulzar (second from right) and ASCI guest faculty Karuna Gopal (extreme right) are seen. Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar

VIJAYAWADA: Faculty member of Hyderabad-based Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) V. Srinivasa Chary has suggested to the corporators to study some of the best practices being followed in the country and abroad in various areas of urban governance, so that some of them could be replicated here if found useful.

Making a power-point presentation to the corporators at a meeting in the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), Dr. Chary called upon the corporators to enlist the cooperation of citizens in all the five areas on which emphasis was being placed during the silver jubilee year. The areas on which the VMC was working out vigorously were round-the-clock water supply, making the city open defecation-free, putting in place a system of better solid waste management, increasing the green cover and environment quality and improving the traffic and transportation.

Dr. Chary sought to impress upon the corporators that by encouraging formation of residential welfare associations in all the colonies and habitations in their divisions, a sense of participation could be achieved among people along in addition to better vigilance.

The meeting witnessed the participation of only about 30-odd corporators among the total 59, with women corporators showing relatively more interest.

Better coordination

On the occasion, Mayor Tadi Sakuntala released a booklet brought out by the VMC, listing the projects that are open for sponsorship by citizens.

CPI(M) deputy floor leader in the VMC general body Donepudi Kashinadh felt the need for extending the last date for applying for drinking water and underground drainage connections with a concession in the fee.

He said there was a need for better coordination between officials and the general body.

Congress floor leader K. Raja Sekhar suggested that public toilets could be constructed at places where people were resorting to open defecation. Regular water supply for public toilets was necessary, he said.

TDP floor leader Y. Ramana Rao wanted all water connections recommended by the corporators to be given.

At a press conference later, VMC Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar and Dr. Chary released a media kit with details of best practices in urban governance. Dr. Chary said that the kit was an outcome of the need felt by the representatives of several newspapers and news channels at a national- level workshop held in Delhi in Mayfor information pertaining to best practices.