Chandigarh residents hassled amid confusion over free community centre booking
Already marred by the proposed hike in booking charges and allegations of reservation under fake names, the city’s community centres now face another issue in the form of confusion over free bookings.
Several councillors have alleged that Sampark and booking centre employees are not accepting the forms for free booking submitted by eligible residents from underprivileged sections, even after the recommendations of the councillors. The residents are being asked to submit additional documents, which are not required, they added..
The prevailing policy allows that free bookings of community centres shall be provided to residents from underprivileged backgrounds for weddings. The only verification required is the recommendation of the area councillor.
The practice has been in place for several years but after the recent vigilance investigation marked by the Municipal Commissioner into the allegations of misappropriation of funds collected through bookings, eligible people are facing difficulties in availing of the facility.
Mahesinder Singh Sidhu, councillor from Ward Number 2 said there is complete confusion over the process.
Recently, he had recommended holding a meeting of the Senior Citizen Association in community centres from his ward. The Sampark employees , however, refused to book the centre, seeking the counter signature from the officer on special duty (OSD), who refused to sign, saying that his signature was only required in the cases of the free bookings for weddings of eligible applicants.
Sidhu said there was no written policy mandating counter signatures from the OSD.
Suresh Inder Singh, member of the senior citizens association, meanwhile, rued the harassment faced during the booking process. “If a clear-cut policy is not put in place, people will continue to face such harassment,” he added.
Councillor Jasbir Singh Ladi said he had recommended free booking of a community centre for a wedding but additional documents were demanded at the booking centre.
Gurpreet Singh, another councillor, seconded the need for clear-cut guidelines for defining eligible people. He said at present, it is left at the discretion of the councillor concerned, which creates a problem.
“Due to this lack of clarity, everybody is running away from the responsibility and harassing the people. In some cases, permission is given and in some cases additional documents are being demanded,” he added.
Agenda to be table in House meet: Mayor
Addressing the issue, Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said the agenda for deciding the new policy for management of the community centres will be tabled in the civic body’s next General House meeting. She added that she has refrained from recommending any free bookings till the new policy is finalised.
Changes in draft policy face backlash
In the draft policy, the Municipal Corporation has proposed a hike in booking rates of the community centres. With the aim to generate more revenue, the civic body was also planning to allow commercial activities like exhibitions at the community centres, while restricting the bookings for the resident welfare associations (RWAs). The RWAs will not be given community centres for free. Neither will they be allowed to put up advertisements of sponsors during meetings. The decision on the policy, however, was deferred after protests by the councillors against the proposed hike in booking rates.
Chandigarh