Nobody from administration approached us for suggestions, allege Chandigarh RWAs

Though the UT administrator in his war room briefings had asked the administration to liaise with the resident welfare associations (RWAs) to control the spread of coronavirus, the RWAs have said that neither were they contacted nor were the authorities willing to listen to their suggestions.

Chairman of Chandigarh Residents’ Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) Hitesh Puri said, “Nobody from the administration has approached us for any suggestions. Local BJP leader Arun Sood had held virtual meetings with us to understand what problems we faced during the lockdown, but that was that.”

Echoing the sentiment, organising secretary of Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh (FOSWAC) Sandeep Bhalla said, “Our communication with the administration is very one-sided. They approach us with surveys for smart city and waste segregation, but when we approach them with suggestions and complaints, they hardly pay heed.”

Bhalla, who is also the organising secretary of the Sector-21 RWA where the first Covid case of the city was reported from, said the administration did not involve the RWA in any way after cases started coming up.

General secretary of the Sector 33-B RWA Kuljinder Singh Sra said he told the authorities multiple times to monitor the vendors as they didn’t wear masks and moved without permits. “My complaints have not been taken seriously. I have even told the police beat officials but no action was taken,” he said.

UT adviser Manoj Parida said, “RWAs are free to volunteer just as many local citizens’ bodies are doing. It would be helpful if RWAs could monitor and keep watch on residents in their own localities and inform health authorities about violations in social distancing. RWAs can play a great role in spreading awareness.”