Tarun Gogoi

Guwahati, June 12: Chief minister Tarun Gogoi today directed ward councillors of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to submit plans for ward-specific development projects and schemes to transform the city into a clean and well-planned place.

During a meeting with GMC mayor Abir Patra and the ward councillors at his official residence here, Gogoi told them to identify the different civic problems peculiar to their respective wards and prepare result-oriented action plan to solve them. They have to submit these plans to him.

“Make a thorough survey of your wards and submit proposals outlining the steps to tackle the different civic problems facing the residents in the wards,” said Gogoi.

The city comprises 31 municipal wards and 90 area sabhas. Despite the existence of the civic body, majority of the wards face the problem of lack of a proper drainage system and bad bylanes. Residents complain of GMC workers not clearing overflowing roadside garbage bins.

Certain wards that are situated in low-lying areas also have to face recurrent waterlogging after a downpour. Even when civic workers clean drains, they pile up the dug-up muck and silt on the roadsides instead of disposing it of. As such, during rains this muck slips right back into the drains, hampering the flow of excess water.

Gogoi also pointed out that the GMC should mobilise funds from its own existing resources to implement development work.

“Do not bank only on the government for funds. The GMC has to generate revenue through various ways to fill up its coffers to undertake development activities. All ward councillors should also make it a point to study the different schemes of the central government where funds could be available to be used for the development of the city’s infrastructure. Our government will provide a matching share to the centrally-sponsored schemes,” Gogoi said.

He said he would also look into the aspect of providing special funds to the ward councillors. The meeting also discussed core civic problems like waterlogging, streetlight, solid waste management, unavailability of drinking water and disposal of garbage.

The chief minister also said the staffing pattern as proposed by the GMC is under consideration. The civic body is likely to face a shortage of workers as the contract between it and Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited, a Hyderabad-based private company that was entrusted with the responsibility of collecting and managing the solid waste generated from the city, will expire on July 1.

However, the GMC plans to engage agencies to make door-to-door collection of garbage to deal with the shortage of workers.