Gurgaon, Sep 2 (IANS) The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) and the mayor should be empowered to play an active role in development and address administrative issues with a bearing on residents’ lives, participants at a workshop here said.
This plea was made in the course of a round-table workshop on “Empowering Local Bodies for Better Governance,” organised Sunday by non-governmental organisation Gurgaon First.
Mission Gurgaon Development, Clean Gurgaon Group, I Am Gurgaon, We the People, and Gurgaon Citizen Council, a host of residents’ welfare groups and social activists were among the participants at the workshop.
These forums turned the spotlight on problems that arose from the ambiguous roles played by a multiplicity of agencies and their lack of authority, according to a press release issued by Gurgaon First.
Gurgaon First also discussed the Gurgaon-Manesar Master Plan 2031 and how citizen groups can work together to push for administrative reform.
MCG councillor Nisha Singh pointed out that the presence of unregulated private builders and multiple authorities is costing residents dear, as none of these private agencies are accountable to the MCG.
She exhorted residents to demand accountability from the government.
Bhawani Shankar Tripathi, founding member, Mission Gurgaon Development, said: “It is high time the MCG was empowered with a constitutional mandate to serve as the planning and development organisation in Gurgaon, and not only as a sanitation agency.”
The event was supported by Dataserv APAC Ltd, a global asset recovery and recycling company, specialising in recycling of e-waste, with a presence in Gurgaon.
Amit Sardana, managing director of Dataserv, said his company had launched a free recycling and pick-up hotline service for Gurgaon.
By calling the toll-free number (1800 208 28 28), residents can avail of free pick up of e-waste by Dataserv APAC from the doorstep, for environmentally sound recycling.
Artemis Hospital, which hosted the event at Sector 51, also launched Artemis Foundation, to provide free healthcare facilities to poor women and children. It has also adopted two minor rape victims aged five and 13 years.
Gurgaon First is a citizens’ initiative focusing on adoption of sustainable solutions and promotion of inclusive growth. It conducts business workshops, thought leadership programmes, strategic events and research for the city of Gurgaon.
