Mohali: RWAs want more funds to boost upkeep efforts

₹4.23 per square metre per month not enough to meet gardeners’ salaries, buy plants and keep park infra in shape, say resident bodies in Mohali

Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) in Mohali that are maintaining around 27% parks of the city feel that the municipal corporation (MC) should allot more funds for better upkeep of parks.

Residents are forced to pitch in funds to keep the area park spick and span, as per the Phase 1 RWA. (HT PHOTO)

Mohali city has a total of 697 parks, including 668 general and 29 special parks, including Nature Park in Phase 8, Silvi Park in Phase 10, Kargil Park in Sector 71 and Rose Garden in Phase 3B1.

While 510 parks are maintained by the contractors, a total of 187 parks are maintained by RWAs. For this, the civic body pays the RWAs ₹4.23 per square metre per month. However, the resident bodies maintain this is far from enough.

MC gets ₹43.43 lakh from the Punjab local bodies department monthly to maintain the 510 parks. Of this, the civic body pays ₹27.30 lakh to contractors and the remaining ₹16.13 lakh to RWAs.

Avtar Singh, president of the Sector 69 RWA said, “We maintain three parks in our sector for which we get around ₹12,500 every month. While ₹8,000 go towards gardener salaries, the rest is spent on flowers, plants, fertilisers and beautification. We recently also spent ₹60,000 on painting grilles and benches, and installing more lights. Due to the limited budget, residents were forced to pay from their pocket.”

In Phase 1, the RWA gets around ₹8,400 per month for Park Number 19, one of the best maintained in the city. The RWA president here, Charanjit Singh Baidwan said, “We started getting funds from MC only in 2020. Area residents used to pitch in before that and even now contribute when funds fall short. At times, MC delays the payments too. We recently got CCTV cameras installed at the park to keep a check on vandals, apart from getting all benches, swings, gym equipment and grilles painted.”

Meanwhile, a senior MC officer claimed that funds for RWAs get transferred latest by 10th of every month.

“The funds were delayed once for three months, as a senior officer got transferred to Patiala. Since then, money is always disbursed timely. Moreover, while the contractors get ₹2.50 per square metre per month, RWAs are already paid more at ₹4.23 per square metre,” the officer said, adding that areas where residents had hired gardeners without an RWA should form one to get funds from MC.

MC commissioner Navjot Kaur said parks in the city were maintained regularly and payments for all RWAs had been disbursed till November.