April 4: The residents of municipal ward 12 have come under one umbrella to press for their demand to get better civic amenities.

A public meeting held on the premises of R.G. Baruah College last evening decided to form a 51-member citizens? committee with representatives from all the localities under the ward.

The committee, which has been named as Nagarik Sajagata Samiti, will be headed by local councillor Prabhat Das.

Ward 12 is the largest ward of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) stretching from Santipur to Gorchuk. The ward has a population of about 25,000 with over 7,450 number of households.

?The main purpose of forming the citizens? committee is to maintain a close co-ordination between the residents and the GMC. The committee will apprise the corporation as well as the district administration of the public grievances and civic problems plaguing the ward,? Das said.

He said the committee would also supplement the administration?s efforts to develop the ward and sensitise the people in this regard.

?The committee will play a constructive role and supplement the government?s efforts to carry out development activities in the ward,? Das said.

The meeting also decided to form four sub-committees, one each for Gorchuk and Boragaon area, Santipur area, Dhirenpara and Ganeshpara area and Fatasil Ambari area. The sub-committees will highlight the problems of their respective areas before the nagarik samiti, which in turn will bring these to the notice of the authorities concerned.

?Ward 12, despite being the largest one, is one of the most backward wards of the GMC. The committee will place a demand before the corporation for allocation of additional funds to develop the ward at par with other municipal wards,? Das said.

The meeting also resolved to carry out a cleanliness drive in the ward. An awareness drive in this regard will also be held.

?We have already printed leaflets carrying messages of cleanliness, forestation, ill-effects of earth-cutting and the like, which will be distributed among all the residents of the ward,? he said. He further said the committee would act as a watchdog and make the administration aware of the illegal constructions on drainage channels to get rid of the waterlogging problem.

Yesterday?s meeting also expressed grave concern over the drinking water problem in the ward.