NDMC officers to reach out to RWAs to sort out civic issues

In a major decentralisation practice undertaken by the civic agency, its officers will reach out to the resident welfare associations (RWAs) to take note of their complaints.

You will no longer have to do the rounds of NDMC offices to make them take note of broken roads, overflowing garbage stations or crumbling footpaths in your area. In a major decentralisation practice undertaken by the civic agency, its officers will reach out to the resident welfare associations (RWAs) to take note of their complaints.

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The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has divided its area into 14 zones wherein each officer has been given charge of a particular zone. The zonal officer will also be responsible for addressing the complaints that are sent to the chairperson, various departments and those that are registered online.

"The zonal officer at the superintending engineer's level or the director's level will make regular visits to the area. It will be mandatory for the officer to hold meetings with the RWAs. He will note their problems and take up their issues within the NDMC," said Santosh Vaidya, secretary NDMC. One zonal officer will have at least 8-10 RWAs under him.

Currently, a number of complaints go unnoticed as officers shirk from their responsibilities. Moreover, the lack of coordination at several levels means the work is not executed.

"Problems that require immediate attention such as broken dustbins, caved-in roads, ill-maintained parks will be taken care of. In case funds have to be sanctioned for this purpose, files will not get stuck in departments as it will be the responsibility of the zonal officer to get them passed," said a senior NDMC official. These officers will coordinate with each department to ensure complaints are addressed within 14 days.

"People will also be able to post their complaints online and there will be a mechanism in place under which the zonal officer who is unable to address a complaint within seven days will be served a notice," added the official. Each zonal officer will also be required to inspect the area he/she is in charge of. "During his visit, the concerned department that has to address the complaint will also accompany him," said the official.

Presently, residents have to visit NDMC offices for filing a complaint and then have to keep visiting the concerned department to overview the status of the complaint.