The Times of India          17.02.2014

Kolhapur Municipal Corporation open to citizens' views on development projects

KOLHAPUR: The residents of Kolhapur can for the first time have a say in the city's development as the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) has started the process of seeking public participation to prepare its 2014-15 budget.

Taking a cue from its counterpart in Pune, the KMC has sought suggestions from the citizens in connection with development work such as construction of roads, public toilets, installation of street lights, footpaths, bicycle tracks, roads and road-side drains. The cost of these projects has, however, not been decided.

"The citizens should approach ward-level committees and submit details of their suggestions that will will be included in the budget during the finalization process by the standing committee. The process will start immediately after the civic administration submits the draft copy of the budget to us," KMC standing committee chairperson Sachin Chavan said.

The entire exercise will be based on the participatory budgeting and people should also have a say in terms of expenses required for the suggested projects in their respective localities. The initiative has been inspired from a similar pattern followed by the Pune Municipal Corporation for the last six years.

"Once we receive the draft copy of the budget and the civic administration's estimates for the regular work, we will study those. Following this, the amounts for the suggested projects will be scrutinized for the feasibility factor. Besides, the funds to be allocated for the wards and priorities of the projects will be finalized a week the budget is presented at the general body meeting," Chavan told TOI.

The standing committee has already started the process of getting the recovery details of tax collection from every department. "We have directed to the civic officials to speed up the process of tax collection and to meet the targets before the final budget drafted. The details of the tax collection will help up to know amount that can be exclusively utilised for the suggested works," the standing committee chairperson added.

During the 2013-14 budget, the civic administration had appealed to people with sound financial background city to invest in various development projects, albeit without any expectation of monetary return. "Very few people approached us to develop the gardens, traffic islands and crematorium. The civic administration, too, had not taken any follow-up action. But for the budget of the next fiscal, it will be mandatory for the civic administration to spend the money allocated for the suggested projects. Besides, we have appealed to the corporators to reach out to voluntary organizations, traders and other sections of society to seek suggestions on projects that are directly related to their everyday life," Chavan said.

Civic activists welcomed the initiative, but urged the residents to follow up with the civic body on the of the projects suggested by them.

Burhan Naikawadi, the secretary of Prajasattak Samaj Seva Sanstha, said, "The initiative is unique and will benefit the citizens only if they ensure regular follow-ups. Besides, the initiative can succeed only if the citizens participate in it in numbers. They should keep a check on the status of the projects and monitor the quality of the work through a tender process that is transparent."