No funds since Feb, Chandigarh RWAs in a fix over neighbourhood park upkeep

Citing financial difficulties in maintenance of neighbourhood parks, the Federation of Sectors Welfare Association Chandigarh (FOSWAC) has asked the Municipal Corporation to release the arrears immediately.

In a letter to the MC Chief Engineer, FOSWAC chairman Baljinder Singh Bittu stated that resident welfare associations (RWAs) were maintaining neighbourhood parks according to a memorandum of understanding between the associations and the civic body. The monthly payment of maintenance was not being released to the RWAs regularly during the past one year. No payment had been released since February this year, making it very difficult for the RWAs to maintain neighbourhood parks.

The chairman of FOSWAC, which represents over 80 RWAs in the city, said it was requested to instruct the officers concerned to release the pending payment immediately. He said a deduction of 8 paise per sq m was being made from the monthly funds of the association for the clearance of waste from dust bins installed in the parks, even as residents who visit the park daily had been complaining that trash cans were not being cleared regularly, leading to foul smell in the area.

A Sector 34 resident said it was very hard to get the tertiary water supply for the maintenance of the parks, causing a great inconvenience in maintaining them.

Major RS Gujral, president of Defence Colony Welfare Association, Sector 35, said the association had surrendered the maintenance work after not receiving funds for the past many months. Now, the parks were in a dilapidated condition and trash was not lifted for days. He added that the condition of the parks was deteriorating day by day.

Hitesh Puri, chairman of Chandigarh Residents’ Associations Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) said the RWAs associated with the federation were also finding it difficult to maintain parks in the absence of funds.

Around 86 RWAs maintain around 45% of the city’s 1,800 neighbourhood parks. The MC gives fixed monthly amount to RWAs for the job.

Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said she had directed the officials concerned to start releasing payments to RWAs as the MC had received Rs 125 crores fund from the UT Administration.