Chennai: Heard about the 73rd Amendment of the constitution? It is the grama sabha, now got it? Well, it turns out that there is another one similar to that in the name of 74th Amendment.
Much like the 73rd Amendment that paved way for panchayati raj in India, giving power to village committees when it came in 1992, in the very next year, 1 June 1993 to be precise, the government came up with the Nagarpalika Act that is part IXA in the constitution that deals with Municipalities.
The act gives provision for a similar committee like grama sabha to be formed in cities for residents to gain power and demand things that might not be available to them due to circumstances.
Ambattur being part of the Greater Chennai Corporation, its residents have decided to utilise the act, for they believe in the rights bestowed upon them by the government.
The members of Ward 80 have formed what is named as “80th Ward Makkal Nala Sangam” or in short “Ward Sangam”.
More than 90 members are into the movement right now and are looking to bring about a change in how the system operates at present.
“We decided to use the rights that we have as citizens of India. There are many things that people do not receive nowadays because they do not know about the rights they have,” said a member on condition of anonymity.
The sangam members told News Today that the motive is to let people exercise their rights. “Have you ever read about our rights, the most important ones if not all, in school? Most of us only know that we have the freedom of speech and expression. But we have many more than that and unfortunately, most of us do not know about it,” said the member.
They said if a road work is carried on in an area, there must be a notice board near the work that has the details of the work, contractor details, estimate, etc.
“But have we seen it anywhere? Authorities are liable to keep that notice board. It is their duty and it is our right as well,” he said.
The ward sangam also wants to be a replacement for residents welfare associations (RWA). “The associations can do many things. But somehow they fall short. Because we move legally, we will be able to do more than what the RWAs have accomplished, said the members.”
Ambattur has 15 wards and each ward will have members, they said. They are currently on expansion mode, the members added.
“Each ward will have representatives and we will work closely with authorities than ever before,” they said. As for the 80th ward, the president is one Vijayakumar, treasurer is Pramod and secretary is Mohan.
According to the members of the sangam, although there is an amendment on forming a parallel entity to grama sabha in the city, people do not know it because such an act has not been passed by the government of Tamilnadu. Twenty States in India have passed the law already.
Asked when they expect to see the fruits of their work, the members said, “When we have more and more people joining hands, we will see greater results. At this point, we expect to see results in 10 years time. Although it might seem a tad bit long, we must realise that this work will ensure that the next generation lives peacefully.”
A movement formed for the people, by the people. Heard it somewhere? Let us hope it works this time around.