The Hindu : New Delhi News : Councillors get laptops

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 06, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Councillors get laptops

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JAN. 5. In an important step towards achieving its objective of complete e-governance, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi today began distributing laptops to its elected representatives.

So "eager" were the elected representatives to grab their laptop, that several Councillors reached Town Hall for the IBM Think Pad well in advance. "I have been waiting since 11 a.m. for the notebook. I should get it first," said Praveen Massy, the Congress Councillor from Dallupura.

However, her young party Councillor from Mayur Vihar, Anil Kumar, was the privileged one as he got the first notebook from the Municipal Secretary, Vishnu Swaroop Sharma. Within a few hours of the arrival of laptops, nearly 50 Councillors had got them.

In fact, by 3 p.m., there was a queue of Councillors outside the office of the Municipal Secretary. When they came out after completing the necessary paper work, some like Satbir Sharma from Kishan Ganj were seen carrying the box containing the laptop on their heads. Costing Rs. 50,800 a piece, the notebook comes along with software in both Hindi and English. The MCD also loaded a compact disc giving details of the annual action plan and various projects of the civic body. The Congress Councillor from Janakpuri, Sanjay Puri, said the notebook contained several new features. "If properly utilised, it would not only increase our efficiency, but also bring us closer to the people," he said.

The Municipal Commissioner, Rakesh Mehta, hoped that with laptops in their hand, the elected Councillors, who so far were sceptical about the various e-governance programmes of the civic body, would start supporting them. "When they start using it and communicating with voters in their constituency on e-mail, they would probably realise the importance of a laptop," he said.

Mr. Mehta hoped that the Councillors would soon realise how e-governance was a powerful medium of change after their first hand experience with the notebook. He said he had not heard of any municipality in India giving laptops to elected representatives.

The Municipal Secretary, V.S. Sharma, said the laptop was the property of the MCD. Referring to the undertaking given by the Councillors, he said they would have to return it after they cease to become a member of the House. "In case it is lost, the Councillors would have to pay for it," he said.

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