CCWA’s protest demanding construction of 90Ft DP Road from JVLR to Chandivali Farm Road | File Pic
Mumbai: In a bold move to bridge the gap between civic administration and the common man, the Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA) has announced the appointment of a shadow corporator to implement governance without ballot box. This initiative aims to provide a dedicated watchdog to review, supervise, and audit the work carried out by elected representatives and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Civic Apathy Persists as BMC Elections Loom
As political parties gear up for the BMC elections being held after more than eight years, the atmosphere among Chandivali citizens remains indifferent. The locality struggles with issues like pollution from illegal bhattis, failure to construct the 90ft. DP road connecting JVLR to Chandivali Farm Road, non-transparent distribution of freebies from civic funds and multiple uncompleted projects.
Frustrated by hollow promises, corruption and inefficiency, the citizens have expressed that election of corporators will not bring any change to the civic conditions of the city. CCWA believes that meaningful change doesn’t require winning expensive elections, which often demand heavy investments, but requires vigilant citizens dedicated to serving the people and the country.
The citizens’ association has announced that it will be appointing shadow corporator in the L ward, irrespective of whichever party or politician comes to power. The concept is similar to that of shadow members of parliament in Westminster-style democracies like the UK, Canada and Australia, where an opposition politician acts as a counterpart to a government minister to scrutinize policy, develop alternative plans, and stand ready to take over government roles if their party wins power.
Elections Have Become a Business Model, Says CCWA Founder
Mandeep Singh Makkar, founder of CCWA, said, “The agenda of a candidate should be to serve the people selflessly, but winning elections has become a business model. Huge investments are made, and after coming to power, those costs are recovered with multifold profits in unethical ways.”
While the appointment process for the shadow corporator is under discussion, CCWA said that the person-in-charge will act as a bridge between the residents and the authorities of the L Ward. The core mission includes public audits and budget transparency, grievance redressal, utilising the power of right to information (RTI), enforcing BMC rules and ensuring implementation of the demands laid under the citizens’ charter ‘Chandivali Cha Manifesto’.
The shadow corporator will share detailed breakdowns of the L ward budget for the residents, take up public complaints and escalate them to authorities, file RTI to uncover hidden data and monitor the ward to ensure that BMC’s own rules and regulations are being followed by both citizens and officials.
Parallel Auditing to Prevent Ghost Projects
To move beyond mere observation, the CCWA’s shadow corporator will implement parallel auditing to ensure the actual corporator and BMC authorities remain accountable. The person appointed as a shadow corporator will cross-reference official BMC work orders with the physical work done on the ground to prevent ghost projects, act as a whistleblower against unethical practices, and provide a yearly report card on how the corporator fund is utilised.
CCWA, through its shadow corporator, will also release an annual L-Ward ‘shadow report card’, to keep the public informed. The yearly assessment will focus on the audit of work orders vs. site completion, monitoring the durability of infrastructure, tracking the percentage of public complaints successfully resolved and ensuring the corporator and BMC are answerable to the residents.
“You don’t need a massive campaign budget to serve the country as true service lies in oversight and accountability. By holding the corporator and BMC accountable, the shadow corporator will ensure that the power of the people is felt every day, not just on election day. By reviewing even just 20% of the ward’s work, the association expects to drive significant improvements in local governance,” said Makkar, adding that the initiative will mark a new chapter for Chandivali by turning passive residents into active stakeholders in their neighborhood’s future.
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