All RWAs to have 'mini councillors', power handed over in steps if AAP wins MCD polls: Kejriwal

The residents always wanted the MCD to empower the RWAs. We view it like an administrative extension, he said.Several RWA representatives also presented their ideas to the chief minister during the interactive session.Kalkaji RWA representative Shobhana Khanna suggested the associations should have the capacity to fumigate their respective areas on their own.

All Residents' Welfare Associations in the national capital will have their own 'mini councillors' with power handed to them in steps if the AAP wins the civic elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday.

During an interaction with Residents' Welfare Association (RWA) representatives, Kejriwal said the AAP would provide them with basic minimum funds.

Elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are due on December 4. The votes will be counted on December 7.

''The public will not remain mute spectators or consumers anymore. Each RWA will have its own mini councillor and powers will be handed to them step by step. ''We will also have extensive consultations on these issues. If we successfully implement this idea of including the residents in the MCD, it will become an example for the entire country,'' Kejriwal said.

The AAP national convener also sought suggestions during his interaction with RWA representatives from Malviya Nagar, Patparganj, Mayur Vihar, Kalkaji, Greater Kailash, Chittaranjan Park and Khirki Extension. RWA representatives of villages and unauthorised colonies were also present at the session.

Kejriwal had on Tuesday announced that RWAs in the national capital would be granted ''financial and political'' powers and empowered with the status of 'mini councillors' if the AAP assumed control of the MCD.

He had said the idea behind this vision was to ''make the people the masters of Delhi ('Janta ko Dilli ka malik banana hai')''.

Addressing the RWA representatives, AAP leader and Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj said the party viewed the associations as an extension of the administration.

''The demand to include RWAs in the MCD has been there for years. The residents always wanted the MCD to empower the RWAs. We view it like an administrative extension,'' he said.

Several RWA representatives also presented their ideas to the chief minister during the interactive session.

Kalkaji RWA representative Shobhana Khanna suggested the associations should have the capacity to fumigate their respective areas on their own. Rajeev Kakariyam, representing the Greater Kailash RWA, said there should only be one RWA in Delhi with every other association being members paying a membership fee.

Dwarka RWA representative Dheeraj Kapoor said, ''Roads are in a bad state and sewers do not have proper covers.'' He also highlighted the problems of encroachment and the shortage of streetlights in the area.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)