JAIPUR: As almost no work has been taken up by the municipal corporation (JMC) since several months now, the engineering section seeks to work on devolution formulas so that petty work like road repair, sewerage choking, street lighting etc could be resolved at the ward or zonal level.

Most believe that besides expediting pace of work at the ground level, the move would give some respite to city residents in getting their grievances redressed at local level and they need not run pillar to post at the offices any longer.

Chief engineer D L Bhakar, who chaired a meeting in this regard, said his section have arrived at the conclusion that petty issues should be dealt with at the local level.

“We want to sensitise the civic administration in the city to be people-centric and people-oriented. We have proposed to make the zonal offices of the JMC be accountable to the residents,” he said.

It has been learnt that the proposal has been sent to the mayor for her sanction which entail interalia empowering the health commissioner and the zonal commissioner for taking up public related works up to Rs 5 lakh for which the said officials need not take any prior sanction of the JMC Board.

“Most officials in the engineering section agreed that the officers above the level of executive engineers should be engaged in bigger projects. We want speedy resolution of people’s woes,” he said.

Many experts are of the view that if the proposal gets the nod, it would also lessen the chances of corruption. “It would also bypass the engineering section for approval of projects. Now the zonal office hitherto ineffective would be made responsible to public needs and they would be answerable to them as well,” claimed an expert.

The new set proposals also include the compulsory recruitment of additional eight sanitation workers at every zone if the civic body fails to contract out the service within a given time.