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Date:
11th April, 2006
Frequently Asked Questions
Local Area Citizen Groups
(Prepared
by NGO Council)
Important
dates
Availability of Charter
and application forms at Ward offices
10th April 2006
Last date for submission of completed forms at Ward offices
31st May 2006
Registration of LACGs and issue of Identity Cards
1st June to
30th June 2006
FAQ-1.
Who
can form an LACG?
Any
group of owners / occupiers of residential, institutional or commercial
premises of a defined geographical area.
FAQ-2.
Why
should I form an LACG?
Through
an LACG, citizens can work as partners of MCGM to survey, plan,
implement, monitor and provide feedback regarding various civic
issues in their locality. It is only through such initiatives of
responsible citizens/groups, can we hope to improve the city of
Mumbai
in terms of cleanliness & civic amenities.
FAQ-3.
Why
would LACG work?
The
MCGM-LACG partnership has an institutionalized, structured and time
bound mechanism for flow of information, complaints by citizens,
across various administrative levels of the MCGM. A Nodal Officer
will be appointed by MCGM for each councillor ward to address complaints
/ suggestions. The Chief Nodal Officer will review the functioning
of all Nodal Officers. Also the online system facilitates faster
actions towards servicing complaints and greater transparency.
FAQ-4.
What
is the Apex LACG committee?
Through
the institution of the Apex LACG Committee, for the first time ever,
the city will see a formalized partnership between the MCGM, LACGs
and NGOs. The Apex LACG Committee comprises the Municipal Commissioner,
all Additional Municipal Commissioners, Chief Nodal Officer, 5 NGO
Council representatives and 5 LACG representatives. This committee
meets once in 2 months to oversee and review all aspects such as
policy formulation, planning & implementation and resolution
of unresolved complaints at city level.
FAQ-5.
How
is LACG different from ALM? Is the role & scope of LACGs same
as that of ALMs?
ALMs
are very small groups of citizens restricted to a much smaller area,
whereas each LACG would include 5000-10000 citizens. ALMs focus
mainly on cleanliness and waste management issues; however LACGs
have a broader scope which includes all civic issues.
FAQ-6.
Why
do we need LACG, while ALMs / LACC system is working well in an
area?
The
absence of clearly defined criteria, including the minimum geographical
area to be represented by a citizen group, and a clear set of rules
institutionalizing the ALM / LACCs as an integral part of the MCGM
structure and functioning, restricted the potential and effectiveness
of the ALM / LACCs. Also if ALMs were formed to cover the entire
area of Mumbai, the number of ALMs would become unmanageably too
many. However, LACGs covering a larger area are manageable in number.
Hence LACGs would better facilitate community involvement in disaster
management as well as other civic issues.
FAQ-7.
Will
ALMs continue to exist even when there is an LACG formed in an area
or otherwise?
ALMs
that do not register as LACGs will be equivalent to any other citizen
group e.g. a Resident Association with effect from 1st
June 2006. It should be noted that individual ALM members or group
of ALMs can come together form an LACG for their area. Even if no
LACG formed in an area, Nodal Officer will be appointed to take
care of complaints / suggestions.
FAQ-8.
Does
formation of LACGs release MCGM from its responsibilities of monitoring
and meeting the civic needs?
No.
Involvement of the LACGs in any of the activities does not, in any
way, absolve MCGM of fulfilling its obligatory responsibilities
(listed in the MMC Act).
FAQ-9.
Whom
should I contact for any clarifications regarding the LACG Charter
and its functioning?
Queries
may be sent to the Nodal Officers, Ward Officers, Chief Nodal Officer,
or the NGO Council. The names, addresses, phone and fax numbers
of the Ward Officers are available at www.karmayog.com/cleanliness/environmentofficers.htm
Shri
A. G. Hire, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (General Administration),
has been appointed as the Chief Nodal Officer. He can be contacted
at:
BMC Annexe
Building ,
6th floor, Mahanagar Palika Marg,
Opp. CST, Fort,
Mumbai 400 001.
Phone: 22621460
Fax: 2269 2268.
Queries
may also be sent to the NGO Council by emailing to info@karmayog.com
or by calling 24520868.
FAQ-10.
What
if a citizen group does not want to cover the entire LACG area as
demarcated by MCGM?
Citizen
groups can propose to form an LACG for even a part of the LACG area.
However, if more than one application received for that area, preference
will be given to the one covering larger area. It is better to discuss
the same with the Nodal Officer beforehand.
FAQ-11.
What
if more than two citizen groups apply for forming an LACG for the
same area?
In
such cases, the applicants will be encouraged to form a combined
LACG. Failing this, the selection of the LACG for the area will
be on the basis of record of credentials e.g. of constructive activities
in the area that have led to any civic improvement. Reasons for
choosing one applicant over another will be made public.
FAQ-12.
What
are the steps for forming an LACG?
a.
Team
up with other interested citizens/groups to form your LACG
b.
Obtain the Application
Form & LACG area map from your local Ward Office
c.
Submit the completed
application form, along with other necessary documents, to your
Ward Office before 31st of May, 2006.
For
further details, please refer to Section
8: Procedure for
Applying for, Registering and De-registering an LACG in Charter for the MCGM - Local Area Citizen
Group Partnership 2006.
FAQ-13.
Is
there any obligatory responsibility for an LACG?
The
Charter for MCGM - Local Area Citizen Group Partnership mentions
the Activities that an LACG can undertake. However, while forming
an LACG the committee members need to mention some of the activities
that they propose to take up. And since all citizens of that area
become part of LACG, the committee members are answerable to citizens.
FAQ-14.
How
can I register a complaint?
Individual
citizens can lodge their complaints via an online system at www.praja.org
or by phone, letter, fax or email to the Complaint Officer in their
ward. The phone numbers of the Complaint Officers can be found at:
www.karmayog.com/cleanliness/environmentofficers.htm
LACGs
are expected to lodge complaints only by using the online system.
For further details please refer Section
7.1 of the Charter for MCGM - Local Area Citizen Group Partnership
2006.
FAQ-15.
Can
more than one LACG function in an area?
No.
Only one LACG will be registered to function in a particular area.
FAQ-16.
Who
will be the contact point for LACGs in MCGM?
1.
The Nodal
Officer forms the single contact person/point for the citizen and
LACGs.
2.
For all unresolved
issues, the LACGs will interact with the officials at higher administrative
levels.
FAQ-17.
How
are the citizens related to the LACG of their area?
Once
an LACG has been formed, all citizens within that defined geographical
area become a member of that LACG. The LACG Committee is answerable
to the citizens.
FAQ-18.
What
is the minimum number of citizens in an LACG committee?
5
to 9 citizens can come together to form the LACG Committee.
FAQ-19.
What
if there is no LACG formed in an area?
There
is no obligation upon the citizens to form an LACG within an area.
In such cases, the Nodal Officer for that ward remains responsible
for addressing relevant issues and the regular Council Ward meetings
continue as before.
However,
one must bear in mind that without an LACG, citizens lose out on
an opportunity to actively take part in the betterment of their
area and take up the responsibility of various issues of concern
with regards to civic amenities.
FAQ-20.
Where
are the application forms and LACG area maps available? To whom
should the filled application forms be submitted?
LACG
area maps and application forms for forming LACGs can be obtained
at the local Ward Office. The completed forms along with other relevant
documents should be submitted to the Ward Officer/Nodal Officer.
A copy of the same should also be sent online or by post to the
NGO Council.
FAQ-21.
Is
there a monitoring and review mechanism for the system?
The
LACG system incorporates a structured review system. It includes
a review process for individual LACGs, for MCGM support and response
to LACGs as well as an overall review of the system by the Apex
LACG Committee. Annual appraisals of the Nodal Officers are also
carried out as part of the review process by the Chief Nodal Officer.
For further information, please refer to Section
9 of Charter for MCGM - Local Area Citizen Group Partnership.
Reviews shall be presented to the Apex Committee and publicly shared,
unless confidential.
FAQ-22.
What
is the tenure for an LACG committee?
The
normal tenure for an LACG committee is 2 years. However, if during
the period, any changes are to be made to the committee in terms
of its members, etc. then due notification should be sent to MCGM.
After two years, the LACG members have to internally elect/select
new committee members or re-elect/select the existing ones.
FAQ-23.
What
are the sources of financial support to LACGs? Will MCGM provide
any support?
LACGs
can generate funds for routine operations and for specific activities
in different ways. Honorarium shall be given to LACGs who provide
watchdog services. BMC will also pay for other specific responsibilities
and assignments. LACGs can collect and keep administrative charges
(read as ‘fines’) from offenders breaking BMC rules e.g. for littering,
not maintaining saaf angans, etc. An LACG can collect a monthly
contributory amount for its functioning from every owner/occupier
in their area, if the citizens there collectively decide that a
specific amount should be so collected.
FAQ-24.
Can
an LACG de-register itself before its tenure ends?
Yes.
LACGs can de-register themselves during their tenure. An area that
does not have an LACG continues with the earlier system with the
Nodal Officer and regular Council Ward meetings.
FAQ-25.
How
do I know the progress towards my complaints?
All
the complaints will be maintained in an Online System, available
for public viewing. In addition, Minutes of meetings and Action
Taken Reports at all administrative levels will also be available.
FAQ-26.
Can
the demarcated boundaries of an LACG be altered at any point of
time?
Yes.
In case an LACG wishes to alter the boundaries of the demarcated
area, it can do so provided it has the consent of all other LACGs
which may be affected by such alterations.
FAQ-27.
What
is the NGO Council? What is its role in the LACG system?
The
NGO Council is the Council of Non-Governmental Organizations of
Mumbai. It is a representative body of Civil Society Organizations
and the NGO sector in Mumbai. It comprises a mix of organizations
with complementary expertise covering different concerns.
In
the LACG system, the NGO Council is part of the Apex LACG Committee.
NGO Council nominees also participate in various meetings across
the system i.e. Council Ward, Administrative Ward, Zonal and Additional
M.C meetings. The council works in conjunction with MCGM and the
LACGs to ensure the smooth functioning of the MCGM-LACG Partnership.
FAQ-28.
What
is Karmayog? What is its role in the LACG system?
Karmayog
is the Convening NGO/Coordinating NGO of the NGO Council. Its website
(www.karmayog.org)
will serve as a facilitator for information exchange between the
concerned parties as per an MOU i.e. the MCGM, NGO Council, CSOs
as per a MoU signed between MCGM and the NGO Council.
Karmayog
will also collate and maintain the best practices among LACGs and
other relevant information to aid in further such initiatives. This
knowledge could include relevant experiences in other such schemes
across the country or even those abroad.
FAQ-29.
What
is the need for a new name i.e. LACG? Why not retain ALM as the
name?
There
is a fundamental difference in terms of scope, size and administrative
structures and procedures of the two. Moreover, all ALMs may not
be interested in this new concept. So if these new organizations
were to be also called ALMs, it would mean that all ALMs who do
not register again would have to be de-registered.
FAQ-30.
How
is the geographical area covered by the LACGs different from that
of ALMs?
Under
the ALMs boundaries were not clearly or formally defined. They generally
covered a smaller area within their vicinity. However, LACGs will
have clearly defined boundaries demarcated so as to cover the entire
Ward, as indicated by the LACG area maps.
FAQ-31.
The
earlier system lacked adequate co-operation of the BMC officials.
How can the LACG concept overcome this hurdle?
Learning
from the inadequacies regarding communication and co-operation of
the earlier system, the LACG concept will also incorporate a training
module for existing BMC officials who will form a part of the LACG
structure i.e. the Nodal Officers. This training will address not
only capacity building for existing officials who will be appointed
as Nodal Officers but also behavioral aspects.
FAQ-32.
What
role does documentation play in the LACG concept?
Recording
and maintaining adequate documentation is one of the key features
of the LACG concept. This will be made possible by the use of a
comprehensive complaint management system, as is being developed.
The advantages of this would be:
a.
Citizens
can easily follow up on the status of their complaints using the
online system. Further, meetings will no longer be held ad-hoc;
proceedings of each of the meetings will be documented and made
available for public viewing, hence increasing accountability.
b.
The agenda for
each meeting will be focused and no longer redundant. The process
will hence be more regularized.
c.
Documentation of
processes & systems will enable easy handover between officials
who eventually come to occupy various levels within the LACG structure.
FAQ-33.
Can
ALMs be converted to LACGs directly or do they have to increase
their size so as to exactly fit the LACG area?
An
ALM can always form an LACG for the area it wishes to represent,
provided it has the support of the citizens of that area. However,
if another group wishes to represent the area represented by the
ALM, in addition to other areas within that LACG area, then the
group covering the larger area, in total, will be given a preference
to form an LACG.
FAQ-34.
Are
citizens expected to be computer savvy and having Internet connectivity?
One
of the key advantages of the new system is the faster communication
across all levels and which has been envisaged based on online system.
Therefore it is expected that in any LACG committee there would
be at least few member who are conversant with computer and Internet.
These members would help in feeding the complaints and getting feedback
from the online system.
Address
listing:
NGO Council:
Karmayog.org
Convenor, NGO Council
Shreeniwas House, 2nd Floor,
Behind Bombay Gymkhana,
H. Somani Road , Fort,
Mumbai 400 001
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