The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : An example worth emulating

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 19, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

An example worth emulating

Staff Reporter

Tarnaka community holds ward sabhas and chalks out development plans

HYDERABAD: The city has already several examples for resident might. RWAs exist here right from the late 60s. The Marredpally RWA is one. Mehdipatnam is another. Kukatpally has joined the party. Tarnaka, well, has been what they call a `shining example'.

The Tarnaka community even regularly holds ward sabhas, during which micro-plans for development of the area are adopted. This is after several thousands of questionnaires are distributed to collect resident priorities and then discussed during the sabha. RWAs, associations of consumers, washermen, watchmen, domestic helps, lawyers, doctors and what not, are all participants.

A monthly bulletin, `Tarnaka Times', makes sure that residents know about local developments while a direct dialogue session with officials takes care of colony grievances.

The Tarnaka Consumer Council, Senior Citizens' Forum, a legal cell, a sports cell, an education/cultural cell and a Police-Maithri/Security cell share duties here.

Oldest associations

In Tarnaka itself, there are others like the 1978-born Nagarjunanagar Welfare Association, which has seen residents' contributions for laying drinking water lines, construction of community hall, tree plantations, work on footpaths, BT roads and medical camps.

The 1979-born Gokulnagar Welfare Association, Hanuman Nagar Welfare Association, Siddhartha Nagar Welfare Association and the Vijayapuri Welfare Association, which is the oldest of the lot set up 38 years ago, are also partners in the Tarnaka example. In Marredpally, N. Ramanathan is one among several who have defied age and battled official indifference to get things moving.

"We have fought for property tax issues, garbage collection, sewerage problems and development of parks. One association alone can't achieve 100 percent, but constant efforts can certainly make a difference. Hundred associations are much stronger than one," says Mr. Ramanathan. In Kukatpally, V. Gopal Rao says the recently formed local federation of about 50 associations is using the Right to Information Act to get details on money spent on their area.

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Andhra Pradesh