You have cribbed about the garbage piles outside your apartment block.
You have cribbed about the potholed street that you negotiate to and from work.
You are now cribbing about the unfinished drains in your colony.
There is a bit that you can do to bring some sense to all that your civic body, the Corporation of Chennai promises to do for you.
Make some simple suggestions for your area's projects. Take a good look at what is proposed. Do a simple survey of the works which have been executed.
At our newspapers, we have made an earnest attempt to get our reportage closer to our local Wards, our elected councillors and MLAs and our local state bodies.
Years ago, when we sought to be at the monthly meetings of the councillors and local officials at the zone level, we were told we did not have permission to do this.
So we hung outside, coaxed a friendly councillor to give us a copy of the proposals, chatted with others and reported key issues that affect you and me.
In time, officers and the elected gave us some space and respect. We were now alerted to these meets so we could cover them a tad closely.
For some time now, we have been publishing the key issues and projects that are proposed and debated at hall meetings.
This is not a mere typist-kind of job. Terms have to be understood, projects have to be explained and often, we have to read between the lines.
We have gone one step up - we try to take up some issues/projects and report on them. Why does one councillor have to allocate funds for a gym that has been closed most times? Why is July the season for building bus shelters? What kind of street board designs does the civic body have in mind for neighbourhoods?
More importantly, these projects need to be audited. Lakhs of rupees are allocated for parks, street boards, drains and street lights. Are they spent on what was listed? Was the project delivered? What did not work?
This is where citizens of each Ward, made up of 3 or 4 nagars can do that extra bit to be auditors of public, local projects. Collate data, make them public, engage with the elected, the officials and the civic body.
Perhaps, there will be a change for the better?
You have cribbed about the potholed street that you negotiate to and from work.
You are now cribbing about the unfinished drains in your colony.
There is a bit that you can do to bring some sense to all that your civic body, the Corporation of Chennai promises to do for you.
Make some simple suggestions for your area's projects. Take a good look at what is proposed. Do a simple survey of the works which have been executed.
At our newspapers, we have made an earnest attempt to get our reportage closer to our local Wards, our elected councillors and MLAs and our local state bodies.
Years ago, when we sought to be at the monthly meetings of the councillors and local officials at the zone level, we were told we did not have permission to do this.
So we hung outside, coaxed a friendly councillor to give us a copy of the proposals, chatted with others and reported key issues that affect you and me.
In time, officers and the elected gave us some space and respect. We were now alerted to these meets so we could cover them a tad closely.
For some time now, we have been publishing the key issues and projects that are proposed and debated at hall meetings.
This is not a mere typist-kind of job. Terms have to be understood, projects have to be explained and often, we have to read between the lines.
We have gone one step up - we try to take up some issues/projects and report on them. Why does one councillor have to allocate funds for a gym that has been closed most times? Why is July the season for building bus shelters? What kind of street board designs does the civic body have in mind for neighbourhoods?
More importantly, these projects need to be audited. Lakhs of rupees are allocated for parks, street boards, drains and street lights. Are they spent on what was listed? Was the project delivered? What did not work?
This is where citizens of each Ward, made up of 3 or 4 nagars can do that extra bit to be auditors of public, local projects. Collate data, make them public, engage with the elected, the officials and the civic body.
Perhaps, there will be a change for the better?
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