5/18/23, 9:38 PM Greater Chennai Corporation puts area sabha meetings on back burner - Times of India

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Greater Chennai Corporation puts area sabha

meetings on back burner
TNN | Feb 28, 2023, 05.48 AM IST

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation seems to have

forgotten about holding area sabha meetings despite nominating
representatives to the body and passing a council resolution last
month. With the city corporation budget scheduled for next
month, residents feel holding area sabhas is vital for taking
citizens' inputs for the budget.
Chennai has 200 wards and every ward has ten areas. Every voter
is a default member of his or her area and can participate in area
sabhas chaired by the councillor. The city has 2,000 areas and one
resident-representative from each area can be appointed to the
ward committee, that's one step above the area sabhas.

The area sabhas are supposed to discuss civic issues, projects and
grievances, do audits and take resolutions to the ward committees consisting of resident-representatives from
each area. This committee vets projects before they are implemented by the corporation.
Sathish Galley, who is a member of a ward committee in Sholinganallur, said the corporation's budget should be
prepared with citizens' inputs. "Residents know best about their areas, and they can choose new projects they
want and have a say on how it must be implemented," he said.

Geetha Ganesh, a ward-committee member in Velachery, said residents welfare associations are clueless why the
area sabha meetings are not held. "All their other projects are happening fast. This alone is not progressing. They
should prioritise this," she said.

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5/18/23, 9:38 PM Greater Chennai Corporation puts area sabha meetings on back burner - Times of India

Some of the residents are irked that the corporation wasted time as people's representatives ranging from
councillors to mayor were camping in Erode for the byelection, putting area sabhas on the back-burner.

Charu Govindan of Voice of People, a collective working on grassroots governance, said many streets are missing
from the corporation's area lists. "They are carrying out road work and storm water drain work without giving
people an opportunity to raise their issues," she said.

Deputy mayor Mahesh Kumar said all formalities are over and the area sabhas can meet once the municipal
administration minister or secretary gives the nod.

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