Trouble-shooters
Print this articleReduce font sizeIncrease font size.By Melvin MathewPulikeshinagar residents use online ticketing system to collate grievances and help authorities fix things fasterA few Pulikeshinagar residents are working two jobs to maintain the basic infrastructure in their locality. Tired of waiting around for the authorities to act, they are now collecting funds and collaborating with civic authorities to create the changes themselves.The Pulikeshinagar RWA has been trying to fix basic civic issues in ward no. 78 like clearing black spots, solving garbage pickup issues and beautification work. The RWA bridges the gap between the residents’ concerns and the authorities.A seven-member core committee has been working 4-5 hours along with two advisories for the past year. Most members dedicate hours after their day jobs. Using the online ticketing system, the team collates residents’ grievances across the ward, communicates with the complainant, develops a comprehensive picture of the issue, and collaborates with relevant departments to get it fixed. Using the data collected from the online ticketing system and an additional grievance cell, they prepare project reports to submit to nodal officers, BBMP authorities and area MLA in the ward committee meetings.“We had a garbage disposal issue in the area. Residents tended to sleep late at night and were unable to wake up early to give out garbage to BBMP workers. There was also the issue of garbage pickup trucks coming at different intervals. We also tried convincing residents to leave the garbage outside the house but the stray dogs would get at them. Most apartment complexes don’t have a bin and we are not permitted to install a bin on the road. This was leading to creation of black spots,” said Shuja Ul Haq, General Secretary, PulikeshiNagar RWA (PNRWA).“We are sure that BBMP will act on the issues, but, it often takes a lot of time for solutions to get implemented. We informed BBMP that we will collaborate with them to expedite the changes,” said Abdu Shakeeb, President of PNRWA.The team collaborated with BBMP to get the garbage cleaned and then got the black sand removed. Further, the area was cemented and painted. The area was beautified to refrain residents from turning it into a black spot again.
The PNRWA has cleared out black spots from three areas. They also educate residents of the area about keeping the surroundings clean and encourage them to maintain cleanliness
Further, they educate the residents on social media about the pros and cons of keeping their surroundings clean. The core committee also pools in Rs 1,000 per person every month and uses it to fix aesthetic and hygiene problems. The team has limited funds, mostly contributed by core members and only reaches out for crowdfunding in bigger projects.Notably, they have managed to clean black spots on three areas- Stephen’s Road, Robertson road and Muneshwara temple.We are sure that BBMP will act on the issues, but, it often takes time to get implemented. We told BBMP that we will collaborate with them to speed up the changes
–Abdu Shakeeb, PNRWAPolice chowki restorationThey have also picked up a new project- beautification of the traffic police chowkis.“Most of these chowkis are in terrible condition. Some are rusted, some have damaged roofs, and some have lighting issues. Traffic cops find it difficult to sit inside them. We want to retain the structure and give it an aesthetic beautification” said Abdul.Appreciating their work, the Pulikeshi Nagar Traffic Police Station approached the PNRWA to beautify chowkis across the ward. Currently, the Mosque Road chowki has been picked up and is almost nearing completion. The RWA team plans on funding this project by providing an advertisement to sponsors on these police chowkis. Eighty per cent of the area will be allocated to the traffic cops and 20 per cent will be split between PNRWA and the sponsor. Each chowki will cost the PNRWA an estimated Rs 10,000-15,000.They are also currently in talks with BBMP to install gates at a location known for smuggling and other illegal activities to prevent the entry of miscreants. They also plan to undertake beautification work to clean up the area. GALLERIES View more photosMost Popular
