Educated class are toughest to work with: ALMs

At the DNA Conversations meet, while ALMs’ success stories were lauded, there was also criticism of the bodies lacking proper structure and governance. A clear demand emerged from the session: ALMs need to have a clear policy defining their role in the overall civic setup.

The BMC, on the other hand, felt that though it will look into the matter, ALMs need to organise themselves into more efficient administrative setups that can yield better results.

The participants were: Ramnath Punja, Ruparel Marg Residents Association, Malabar Hill; Rajkumar Sharma, Diamond Garden ALM, Chembur; Ashok Rawat, G-North Citizens Forum, Shivaji Park, Mahim; Nusrat and Afzal Khatri, Kandivli (their ALM stands dissolved); Ashad Mehta, Oval and Cooperage Residents Association; Anil Bhatia, Marine Drive Residents Association; Bharati Kakkad, Union Park Residents Association, Khar; Sherley Singh, Juhu Vile Parle Development Scheme; Seema Redkar, BMC’s officer on special duty for ALMs.
DNA reports on the proceedings.

How has the ALM experience been?
Ramnath Punja: We started off with segregating garbage. Around 150 kg wet waste would be composted per day. But the segregation stopped as common mixing is one of the biggest problems. The BMC does not have enough vans, and after a point they stopped encouraging the ALMs. Now, they are planning to promote these again, but we feel there is need for a strong nodal officer.

Rajkumar Sharma: Contrary to what he says, we are taken very seriously. Some of our problems get solved over the phone. ALMs can be termed as the sole success story of the BMC, no matter the extent. We have tried to be a pressure group. The biggest problem we still face is slum encroachment. In our area, slums remain an issue that the BMC is not looking at. Water and parking are the other issues.

What are the problems you face?
Ashok Rawat: Our issues are many, from a lack of open spaces to the slums of Dharavi. There is an appalling lack of cooperation from the BMC. A proper mechanism is not in place. ALMs are given importance as per the needs of the corporation. During malaria, they invite us and want us to help. But largely, coordination is officer-driven. If an assistant municipal commissioner is active, it works. But once an officer is transferred, the system of interaction stops.

Nusrat Khatri: Ever since they (BMC) stopped encouraging us, it has been individual-driven at both ends. If people are very active at the ALM level, and have the energy, time and the wherewithal, things move forward. But once an officer is out, things do not move. That is why newer ALMs die. The BMC needs to have a system where people are encouraged consistently, no matter who the officer is.

Who is easier to work with: ‘educated’ people or slum dwellers?
Afzal Khatri: The biggest hurdle comes from the educated class. We had to leave our projects when people from the society got them stopped after we started getting recognition. It was so difficult that we changed our approach to activism. We approached schoolchildren. Slum dwellers are also requested to participate, and they do that when we tell them we are not here to drive them out.

Seema Redkar: I would like to say that people from the educated class have been a big hurdle. They are very tough to work with. Once they sit, they only argue instead of being willing to work. On the other hand, the slum dwellers, once they repose confidence in you, are willing to come forward and work out solutions.

Does the BMC cooperate?
Bharati Kakkad: Our area’s issues are different. We have support from residents, but the authorities have been very non-cooperative on eateries. There are 23 of them in our residential area, when they are not supposed to be there at all. Around 50 people filed an RTI petition in which they included 350 queries. In our case, we have good participation in the ALM as anger simmers among the residents. What is important is that people should not give up.
Anil Bhatia: A citizens’ movement has been there in our area since 1980. In the 1990s, we had ALMs conceptualised on the ‘for the people, by the people and of the people’ plank, and it did create some positive energy.

We have worked with pest control officers and have managed to contain the effect of malaria to a large extent in our area. But what we see today as activism is the result of desperation and frustration that is driving people. There is absolutely no governance. Is the civic body interested? It knows all this needs to be done. Also, people who are into activism are losing out on income generation.

What are your immediate concerns?
Sherley Singh: Encroachments and the proliferation of eateries are concerns in our area, like it is in the Bandra-Khar belt. Corporators are very important administrative heads and I think ALMs will have to focus on having a strong network with them. For things that are beyond corporators, we have to rely heavily on the RTI route.

Ashad Mehta: We are lucky to have the participation of many active residents. But before the BMC started with the initiative, there were deficiencies. Our two big concerns are preservation of open spaces and heritage. We have managed well by taking the initiative away from the BMC when we felt we could lose out.

Anil Bhatia: The fact that residents lost out on the Llyods Reclamation Ground on account of a stadium should tell you a lot about the inclination of the authorities. Did they not know what they were doing? Why should there be the need for a person to go and tell the authorities what the requirements of residents are? We need a system of positive governance.

What do you think is expected from you?
All ALM representatives: We want the authorities to have a clear policy on ALMs. They should help create a positive atmosphere by giving incentives that benefit small societies. The incentives can be carbon credits or rebates.

What does BMC feel about these issues?
Seema Redkar: These issues are being taken care of at our level. We are trying to come out with ALM cells and slum cells to interact with them. But the ALMs need to improve on their networking and create smaller administrative units for more effective policy implementation.