Tambaram Corporation: Area Sabha meetings on the lower side

The number of Area Sabha meetings conducted in wards under the Tambaram City Municipal Corporation are so few that one can count them on the fingers of one’s hand.

Tambaram Makkal Kuzhu, a non-profit that has been creating awareness on this grassroot form of democracy, has identified two to three councillors who have made an attempt to conduct Area Sabha meetings but they could not continue due to lack of support.

“We did a rough analysis based on calls and feedback from residents to find Ward 50 councillor has conducted a meeting but he could not continue because of no support from bureaucrats,” says C.R. Bharathi Kannan, who started the forum.

Along with elected representatives, officials representing Metrowater, Corporation, Tangedco and police are expected to attend these meetings and address concerns of the public.

Area Sabhas: the ground that remains to be covered

Social activist and Chromepet New Colony resident V. Santhanam says in his locality, Ward 28, councillor Vijayalakshmi Gunasekharan could conduct only one Area Sabha meeting in the last three years.

“Since then I have been asking and representing but there seems to be no political will,” says Santhanam.

Many citizen groups that The Hindu Downtown contacted such as the Federation of Residents’ Welfare Associations of Rajakilpakkam, Sundaram Colony in East Tambaram and Sarvamangala Nagar in Chitlapakkam say no such formal meetings have been conducted.

M. Yakoob, councillor of Ward 50, says he has conducted the Area Sabha meetings three times so far, twice on the street corner and once inside a mandapam as it was raining, but officials don’t want to be present.

Children to take the spotlight at area sabha meeting

“In one meeting a Revenue Official came. Staff representing Tangedco and Metrowater don’t come then how can the concerns of people be addressed?,” asks Yakoob.

Bharathi Kannan says infighting among political parties and lack of will among bureaucrats are reasons why Tambaram has hardly made any headway in conducting Area Sabha and Ward Sabha meetings.

“Officials representing different departments must be in attendance to listen to grievances of people and also give an update of infrastructure projects being planned in the neighbourhood. There should also be a mechanism to record minutes of the meeting,” says Bharathi Kannan that they have also conducted a few meeting with RWAs and elected representative to explain functioning of sabhas.

The Hindu spoke to deputy mayor G. Kamaraj and Tambaram Corporation Commissioner S. Balachander; and the former said people today have many forums to represent their grievances so even if they were to conduct these meetings the turnout is poor.