Gurgaon Civic Body Approves Ward Committees After 11-Month Delay
The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has finally given its approval for the establishment of ward committees, nearly a year after the March 2025 municipal elections. This move comes after a significant gap since late 2022, when the previous committees ceased to function following the end of the 2017-22 house tenure.
Framework and Objectives of the New Committees
During a special house meeting chaired by Mayor Rajrani Malhotra and attended by Municipal Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya, along with other senior officials and councillors, the decision was formalized. The framework aligns with the Haryana Municipal Citizens’ Participation Act of 2008, which aims to institutionalize citizen involvement in municipal functions through decentralized problem-solving.
Under the approved structure, each ward committee will be chaired by the respective councillor and include nominated members representing women, Scheduled Castes, and backward classes to ensure inclusivity. The committees are tasked with prioritizing local development works, monitoring sanitation arrangements, and addressing issues related to street lights, roads, water supply, sewerage, and other basic amenities.
Officials emphasized that these committees will hold regular meetings to discuss ward-specific concerns and liaise with municipal departments for faster resolution. Additionally, it was decided that each committee will have its own bank account to facilitate citizen participation and enable ward-level monitoring of development and civic services.
Expected Benefits and Recent Steps
The long-delayed establishment of these committees is expected to enhance transparency, accountability, and responsiveness in civic administration by creating a formal channel between residents and the corporation. This is anticipated to better align development planning with ground-level needs.
Mayor Malhotra stated, "People’s participation is essential for the city’s progress, and these committees will provide a meaningful platform for it." Commissioner Dahiya added that the committees would serve as a bridge between the administration and citizens, facilitating systematic identification of local issues, oversight of works, and grievance resolution for core services like sanitation, drainage, roads, and street lighting, with regular performance reviews to ensure accountability.
This approval follows a recent step by MCG to constitute 117 area sabhas across its 36 wards, aimed at increasing public involvement in local governance and service delivery. Each ward has been divided into three or four area sabhas based on polling booths and voter numbers from the latest electoral rolls, with four sabhas in wards where the population exceeds 35,000.
Resident Welfare Associations Express Skepticism
Despite the official optimism, Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) in Gurgaon have expressed significant apprehensions about the functioning of the new ward committees. They point to a history of non-performance by previous committees, which has led to skepticism among residents.
Chaitali Mandhotra, a resident of Ardee City and co-convener of the United Gurugram RWAs, highlighted that parks were handed over to RWAs not due to the absence of ward committees, but because RWAs were able to maintain them more effectively. "We are stakeholders, and a smooth system should not be done away with," she asserted.
Kusum Sharma, chairperson of the Suncity township RWA, echoed these concerns, noting that residents were fed up with ward committees due to their past ineffectiveness. "RWAs are managing very well and often put in extra funds to maintain parks. Councillors should focus on areas without RWAs for better management. One should appreciate a proven system instead of destroying it," she added.
Counterarguments from Officials
In response to these concerns, Advocate Vikas Yadav, a BJP leader and councillor of Ward 22, which covers large parts of Golf Course Road, downplayed the skepticism. He argued that the ward committees would help councillors streamline and better monitor work, while also holding them accountable for their wards.
Yadav emphasized that the committees would enable eminent residents, such as former service personnel, to become representatives and improve civic governance. He also clarified that RWAs were given responsibility for parks with the condition that MCG could take them back and audit their functioning, suggesting a collaborative rather than competitive approach.
The approval of ward committees marks a significant step towards fulfilling the 2008 law’s mandate for citizen participation in local governance. However, the success of this initiative will largely depend on its implementation and the ability to address the concerns raised by RWAs, who have proven effective in managing local amenities in the absence of functional committees.
