‘Corporators are needed despite shortcomings’

Citizens, especially from slums, still visit former corporators over daily issues. Representation Pic

Most residents and activists don't seem to miss corporators, whose term ended 16 months ago, but political experts tell mid-day that though there is large scope for improvement in the system, civic councillors are required in a democracy.

Regarding allegations of corruption that are sometimes raised against councillors, the experts asked mid-day if MLAs and MPs were untainted. They also stated that in the absence of corporators, the administration is enjoying benefits akin to those received by our overlords during the colonial era.

Some pointed out that MLAs and MPs perform similar functions as corporators such as inspecting nullah cleaning, road work and public toilets along with infrastructure and asked why legislators are duplicating this work.

Sandip Pradhan:

In a democracy, public representatives, from the grassroots level to Parliament, are a must. The system includes public representatives and administration and it has inbuilt set-up of checks and balances. There can be a debate on corruption and inefficiency, but if we need to control the administration, a public representative is a must. The administrator is not answerable to anyone. Once he/she joins, they will work until retirement and do not face the public every five years. Not so for public representatives.

Sandip Pradhan, political expert

During the pandemic, we had to impose the British-era Epidemic Diseases Act. Indian Civil Service officer W C Rand vacated Pune with the help of the same act to control the spread of plague. The Act was so strictly imposed that Rand was murdered by the Chapekar brothers in 1897. Unfortunately, the same law had to be implemented during COVID-19. The Act allows the administration to control the people. Though it is not in use anymore, in the absence of corporators in cities and gram panchayats in rural areas, ministers and administrative officers are taking advantage of the same law for their own benefit.

As there are no standing, improvement or any other statutory committees, ministers find it easy to clear works. These committees are necessary as they give a voice to the local people. There are many allegations of corruption surrounding corporators, but do you think MLAs and MPs are untainted? If residents in towers say corporators are a nuisance, why do they use ‘corporator fund' to fix tiles and pay cable bills? Isn't it corruption to use the money for the wrong reasons? Writing comments on social media will be of no use if there is no connection with the ground level.

People in slums are very tolerant. They work for 12 to 14 hours a day and do not have much time and energy to pursue civic issues. So they are silently facing difficulties and there is no public outrage. On a broader level, PM Narendra Modi cannot rule the whole country only with the help of administrative officers. People's representatives, who echo public sentiment, are needed at every level. And if he tries to do it, the attempt will fail miserably.

Prakash Akolkar:

There is a clear-cut class divide in the city and those who are saying corporators are not important and merely a nuisance do not have any connection with slum dwellers. Residents of towers can solve their issues through various resources, but the maids who go to their homes have to go to corporators to solve their issues. Even though the city has had no corporators for the past one and half years, people in economically deprived classes are still going to their former corporators in large numbers to solve their day-to-day issues and not only civic infra issues.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters. File pic/Ashish Raje

Corporators act as a pillar for support for issues from domestic violence to updating passports/Aadhaar cards. There are so many issues like the collapse of their huts, no supply of electricity, water cuts, landslides and many others. The people in towers have influence and have many tools like social media and helpline numbers. But in slums, they have only connections with corporators who have access to the administration and can put pressure on local authorities to get work done.

On a large scale, democracy without public representatives is a disaster and a big conspiracy. Elected members are an integrated part of democracy. Though they are involved in corruption and we report it from time to time, we cannot neglect the crucial link between the administration and the public. How can we say we stay in democracy if there are no representatives of the public from local wards or rural areas? Bureaucracy cannot run the country.

Corporators have to attend calls at midnight for the sake of their vote bank. Now the BMC has given corporators' funds to MLAs. Do you think they are not involved in corruption? I know many corporators who are spending from ‘their own pockets' as they want to be elected next time.

In the BMC, corporators act as a window to show what is going on behind closed doors of the administration and sometimes major corruption is uncovered due to political rivalry or someone not receiving their share. The discussions and debate in the general body meeting underlined the various issues faced by people such as low supply of water, potholes, waterlogging, waterborne disease etc. Now deals are finalised at higher levels without a hint to common people or suggestions from them.

Haima Deshpande:

For the past year and a half, there have been so many municipal corporations that do not have an elected body as the civic elections have not been conducted. In all these months the question is: Did any of us miss our corporator? I did not. In fact, I don't even know who my corporator is! I know the MLA and the MP but not the corporator.

Prakash Akolkar

For me, the corporator is a faceless person accompanying the MLA to ensure that in case the latter does not contest an election. The corporator may get to fill in their shoes due to the "close proximity" factor.

What does a corporator do which is not being done by the MLA or the MP? In the ward that I live in, the MLA and the MP do similar functions including checks to see if the public drains have been cleaned, road work and other infrastructure work have been completed or not, etc. So if the corporator is supposed to do the same work, why are the MLA and the MP duplicating it?

There are many people I know who have never voted in the civic polls because they do not know the candidates. So, it will do well if the corporator is more accessible and moves around the constituency a little more than what is happening now.

Tweet talk

Virendra Bhatnagar@VirendraBhatna8: Corporators have a legal responsibility and can be pulled up in court of law for not discharging their duties.

Ret2indnri@ret2indnri: Save money and put it in FDs. Powerful ALMs can replace corporators and make ward officers accountable.

Awaken Citizens@tweetsocial_17: Most corporators are not seen after the elections…

Mohit Chhabria@mohit_chhabria1: Corporators need to be more active.

Anupama@anupamapatnaik: They act according to who they favour and many don't bother to listen to the residents at all.

Nitin Thakker@nitinthakker: BMC still exists in the colonial raj, and their employees and our beloved elected corporators are the new-age ‘goras'…

Chirag Salian@ChiragSalian1: You only have to look at the state of the city to see how certain people are only working for vested interests.

Reshma@resh1978: Corporators will help only if they see merit in doing so; else, will just ignore you. There are very few who work for the people.

2022
Year corporators' term ended