Transparency, strict laws can improve governance in tricity

It is good that courts are involved in it. It puts pressure on the Administration. But, it is a difficult job to run things as Chandigarh borders two states. The Administration cannot be generalised as a whole as it has different wings. The administrations of the tricity should work in coordination to resolve complex issues. Also, public participation is important. The public should be at the same footing as the Administration.

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Kirron Kher, Chandigarh MP

Form committee

The Chandigarh Administration will have to curb the rising crime and stray dog menace. The tricity administrations should work in coordination by forming a committee. It is a serious matter that the High Court has to intervene then only the Administration wakes up from its deep slumber. It should be discussed why does the administration come into action only after court’s directions.

Davesh Moudgil, Chandigarh Mayor

Utter failure

It is unfortunate. The Administration under the BJP has rotated normal functions and residents are forced to knock on the door of the High Court to get relief. It is the utter failure of the present dispensation.

Pawan Kumar Bansal, former 

Union Minister

Timely action required

There is an increase in public interest litigations (PILs) and suo motu notice by the High Court. It is a welcome step. It keeps the Administration on toes and alert. It accelerates the process. The executive should learn a lesson from this to not leave any scope for the court to intervene. The Administration should take proper decisions in time.

Satya Pal Jain, former MP

Fix accountability

The High Court has reprimanded the Administration many times and issued directions. It is a serious reflection on the working of the latter. If the court has to solve these problems of people than what for we need this top-heavy Administration? The UT Administrator should directly interact with people and fix the responsibility and accountability of officers to solve the problems being faced by them.

Harmohan Dhawan, former union minister

Courts should not handle trivial issues

In some issues such as stray dog menace and Sukhna Lake upkeep, there were some legal issues attached to them so the high court had to intervene. I agree in cases like chain snatchings, things should have been dealt administratively. Also, it has become a fashion for some people to go to court. It is not a healthy sign for the country that the court has to then pass an order on every issue.

Sanjay Tandon, Chandigarh BJP president

System not improving

It is the total failure of the BJP government as the UT is under the control of the Union Home Ministry. The present government is not taking Chandigarh seriously. Thus, the High Court has to intervene on every issue. Elected MP and Municipal Corporation are there, but still the system is not improving.

Pardeep Chhabra, Chandigarh Congress president

Focus on public safety, welfare

Our heads hang in shame after reading reports of the callous attitude of the UT Administration in addressing routine administrative issues and crime incidents occurring every day in the city. The law and order is deteriorating day by day. Not only women, but men are also increasingly becoming victims of miscreants. This reflects the abysmal performance of the Administration in redressing all routine issues of public interest. The UT Administrator and the local MP should wholeheartedly concentrate on the important statutory obligation towards safety, security and welfare of the public.

Renu Rajinder Pal Singh, Chandigarh

Check lethargy among staff

It’s high time that the Administration must pull up its socks to curb the menace in the UT to save it from more deteriorating situations. Top officials must work hard and keep a strict vigil on subordinates to take immediate action at any cost. UT officials must work responsibly and be attentive to the sensitive and reported issues and solve them at the earliest. Lethargic employees of the departments concerned should be given notice for immediate action and could be suspended for not adhering to the same.

Rashi Srivastava, Chandigarh

Raise new issues

Issues raised by former union minister Harmohan Dhawan are not new. Let him fight for the concerns of citizens of the City Beautiful. Rollback of parking rates, property tax and need-based changes in dwelling units are some of the burning issues. Simply keeping himself in the limelight for nothing will certainly not help him.

RK Kapoor, Chandigarh

Act against erring officials

The UT Administration is responsible and accountable for carrying out routine affairs related to the well-being of residents of the city. It is a pity that the Administration fails to address the routine issues at its own unless directed by the High Court to act. It is seen that the court and the media are the two driving forces to get the UT Administration going. The performance of all departments concerned  should be regularly monitored by the Administrator online on a daily basis and strict action be taken against the erring officials showing laxity.

RPS Chopra, Mani Majra

Hold meetings with residents

Let every ward councillor hold a meeting on the first Sunday of every trimester over a cup of tea with residents of his ward who will apprise him of various problems such as sanitation issues, traffic snarls, maintenance of parks and roads, stray dog menace, streetlights, and pruning of trees. It will certainly help the councillor in coordination, implementation and improving the situation in his/her ward.

Harish Kapur, Chandigarh

Take MC, people in loop

If the High Court is addressing a few issues, it points to some lacunae in the working of the Administration. It seems that the MC is not being taken into confidence before taking decisions such as dropping of the proposal of Metro in the city. Issues should be prioritised as per needs taking the MC and people in the loop. The Administration should work as a facilitator among tricity components in tackling issues such as stray dogs, maintenance of Sukhna Lake and rising crime.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma

Joint efforts needed

The issues raised by Harmohan Dhawan are the basic problems which are affecting every citizen. He is right when he says that public servants have become rulers and the common man a beggar. We all have to come forward jointly and struggle for our rights.

Sushil Kumar Aggarwal

Bring transparency

To eradicate corruption, the Centre and state governments must bring transparency in their functioning, fix accountability, create time-bound service delivery mechanisms, promote e-governance and e-transactions, strengthen legal and administrative framework, make provisions to check corruption, introduce electoral reforms, create civic anti-corruption bodies and spread awareness of anti-corruption laws.

Charu Malhotra, Chandigarh

Stop political interference

The functioning of the Chandigarh Administration has been adversely affected due to the political interference of UT, Punjab and Haryana politicians. Upright officers are shifted quickly and those who dance to the tunes of their political masters remain posted even beyond their tenure. The revival of Chief Commissioner’s post will improve the working of the UT Administration to a great extent for the benefit of the common man.

KC Rana, Chandigarh

Strengthen overall mechanism

Chandigarh, known for its clean green environs, has always been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. This time around, a former union minister and veteran leader Harmohan Dhawan, has pointed fingers at the UT Administration’s functioning. Not a single day passes when incidents such as dog bite, stalking, chain-snatching, carjacking and extortion are not reported from the city. The authorities need to take an urgent call to stem the rot before it is too late.

Ramesh K Dhiman, Chandigarh

Reforms need of the hour

The UT failed to address routine and petty issues of the public. It is certainly a matter of deep concern. The system is rotten and the law and order is not being handled properly. The governing structure requires serious reforms. We cannot lose sight of the fact that the UT is a bureaucrates-driven city. Most importantly, bureaucracy, politicians, judiciary and even society as a whole must have a strong will to combat.

Vidya Sagar Garg, Chandigarh

Join hands to check crime

The administrations of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula should join hands to curb crime and make tricity a safe and beautiful place for residents. They should move forward and policies should be made to manage traffic problems. More strict rules should be made and implemented. Police patrolling should be more focused and frequent in areas which are more prone to crime. There should be a coordination between the Administration, police, residents, shop owners and schools to have positive results, which will further benefit the residents.

Kamalpreet Kaur, Mohali

Make tricity crime-free

The government is duty-bound and accountable in its functioning. Intervention of courts reflects inefficient governance. Representatives of governments must provide security to residents, especially women, and make the tricity clean, crime-free and a beautiful place to live in. Let’s hope the authorities will rise to the occasion.

Sardul Singh Dhawan, Chandigarh

Take positive steps

Accountability, responsibility and transparency can be shown by the Administration by taking positive steps and addressing issues such as upkeep of Sukhna Lake, stray dog menace and rising crime in an effective and strenuous manner.

Priya Darsh Growar, Mohali

Frame strict laws

Everyone knows that Chandigarh is a modern and beautiful city in Asia. But it is losing its beauty due to carelessness of the Administration. The condition of Panchkula and Mohali is worse than Chandigarh. Higher officials do not give proper attention towards cleanliness and crime. They should perform their duties sincerely. The Administration should frame strict rules and regulations. Politicians and bureaucrats should help the Administration in checking the crime.

Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Mohali

Follow other countries

It has been pointed out that the UT has reportedly failed to address petty and routine issues such as the upkeep of Sukhna Lake, stray dog menace, and the rising crime in Chandigarh. To solve such problems, I would suggest that the Chandigarh Administration and its Mohali and Panchkula counterparts should meet frequently. I would also advise the three to study steps taken by foreign countries to solve such  issues.

Tarlok Singh, Mani Majra

Revive open durbar culture

Pending issues raised by the former MP and addressed to the UT Administrator reflects the tardy functioning of the Administration and the MC in solving them. It would be in the interest of the tricity if the UT Administrator revives the culture of holding open durbar, to listen to public grievances and pass on necessary directions on the spot, to solve the problems within a stipulated time period.

AS Ahuja, Chandigarh

Listen to elected representatives

Elected  representatives seem  to  have  lost  their   say  in the final  decision-making  on  issues  that  affect residents  directly, be  it  the  CHB  refusing to  listen  to  the  plea  of  residents and even the  local MP on  penalising CHB residents for need-based changes  unilaterally and  calling them  as   violations or  the  abnormal  increase  of  parking  rates by  the  MC.

SC Luthra, Chandigarh

Improve efficiency of elected representatives

People get administrators they deserve. We are citizens with a deceptive psychology. How administrators coming from among us can be diligent workers. There is a need to make administrators accountable. Efforts are required to be taken to make elected representatives work properly.

MPS Chadha, Mohali

COMMENT

Bridge gap between Administration, public

Nitin Jain

If even such mundane public issues as stray dog menace, upkeep of Sukhna Lake and the rising crime graph are to be addressed by the judiciary then what is the role and responsibility of the UT Administration? This question gains weight and begs for an answer after a former Union Minister and veteran BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan raised it, casting serious aspersions on the working of the Administration.

Looking at the recent past, one finds several routine and basic issues pertaining to public interest being addressed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, given the preference of aggrieved residents and organisations to file petitions. Then there have also been instances of the High Court taking suo motu notice of issues of public import and taking upon itself the responsibility to monitor them.

May it be the recent spurt in snatchings, the nuisance of rising noise pollution caused by modified or silencer-less bikes, illegal constructions on the periphery of Chandigarh, or inadequacies at the international airport, the judiciary is seized of these matters after the bureaucrats failed to find a solution. Lack of public interface, indifferent and callous approach of the babus or ill-planning could well be among the reasons behind the increasing interference of judiciary in administrative matters.

Those at the helm of affairs confining themselves to their own shells and promoting coterie culture have widened the chasm between the Administration and the public. This explains why the common man’s plight is worsening by the day. For, lack of accountability, responsiveness and transparency  hamper the public delivery system the man in the street hugely banks upon.

Solution to most of the ills lies in making the Administration public-friendly. Making public partner in the delivery of services, forming coordination panels with representatives of the public and babus from the grassroots to top level, adopting zero tolerance for corruption and public inconvenience, devising ways and means to hear public grievances and ensuring their redressal at all  levels, making public feel empowered by inviting  suggestions on issues of public interest, and holding regular meetings between the Administration and the public would not only help bridge the widening gap between the public and the Administration but would also help in addressing a majority of the public issues.

Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore who took the lead the other day to bring together the police heads of Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana to prevent and detect crime in a coordinated manner in the tricity region, may also move to devise a mechanism for making the Administration more accountable, responsive and transparent.