Hyderabad: Despite a government order forbidding it, it is the husbands of female corporators who call the shots even in the selection of GHMC ward committee members.
In every ward, more than 100 civil society members have applied for 10 vacancies, of which five have to be women. Though there is no role of a corporator in selecting the members, candidates recommended by the corporators are being considered.
Area sabha and ward committees are supposed to comprise of citizens willing to express civic issue before the committee, which will be represented to the corporator and further to the GHMC council.
“The government had promised civil society that equal representation would be given to them. However, corporators are preparing the list by themselves and insisting that their candidates be nominated to the ward committee,” said Mr G.V. Rao, general secretary of the Greater Alwal Allied Service Association.
He said that in each circle, a spate of recommendation letters from corporators is being attached to applications for ward committee members and given to the GHMC for selection. All of them belong to the same party as the corporator. It is also the same in areas that have elected other parties’ representatives, he said.
Mr Mazhar Hussain, executive director of Confederation of Voluntary Associations, said, “Though the government is particular that husbands should not take over corporators’ roles, there is still an amount of influence. Residents’ welfare associations have proposed that ward members should include eminent and concerned citizens, not just political functionaries, which was accepted by minister K.T. Rama Rao and the mayor.”
He said that wards were earlier packed with henchmen of the corporators. “We hope that this time the composition is different and much more people friendly. We have to wait till the selection. The scrutiny is being done by the GHMC deputy commissioners concerned, however with interference from corporators,” he said.
Peoples’ choice
The civic Wards were earlier packed with henchmen of corporators.
Those eligible to become ward members include president/secretary of registered resident welfare association, member of registered tax-payers or rate-payers association, president/ secretary of slum-level federation of a slum.
When there is no slum in the ward, members of senior self-help group, members of registered association or institution, body, organisation, NGO, mahila mandalim, trade union, chamber of commerce, medical council or prominent citizens from the ward also eligible to become ward members.
