With Chandigarh MC in the red, RWAs struggle to keep parks green

Chandigarh municipal corporation’s deepening financial crunch, which has halted development projects and put staff salaries at risk, has also impacted city’s neighbourhood parks, with payments to Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) for park maintenance overdue for four months.

Amid MC’s ongoing fiscal mess, RWAs, which maintain 45% of city’s 1,800 neighbourhood parks, reimbursements have been delayed, creating challenges in their upkeep.

The city’s 1,800 parks cover 2,300 acres, and 809 of these parks, spanning about 290 acres, are managed by 86 RWAs.

MC compensates these RWAs ₹4.15 per square kilometre monthly for park upkeep, but payments have been stalled, leading to financial strain.

The unpaid dues are forcing RWAs to collect funds from residents to cover the costs of gardeners and maintenance. But most parks are in poor condition, with uncut grass, broken swings, and garbage and horticulture waste piling up.

Baljinder Singh Bittu, chairman of the Federation of Sectors Welfare Association Chandigarh (FOSWAC), said even though RWAs maintained parks in exchange for paltry compensation, MC did not reimburse the bills on time. “The amount has piled up for over four months now, impacting maintenance of parks,” he added.

Hitesh Puri, president of the Chandigarh Residents Associations Welfare Federation (CRAWFED), added that RWAs had been spending their own funds and seeking money from residents to keep the parks maintained.

“If the situation continues, RWAs will soon stop maintaining the parks. MC even deducts money, alleging improper maintenance. Though the compensation is fixed at ₹4.15 per square km, in reality, MC pays less than ₹2 per square km,” he said.

Puri said RWAs were trying to seek appointment from municipal commissioner Amit Kumar for January 17 to discuss the issue.

The financial arrangement for park maintenance had begun in 2012, with MC initially paying ₹1.50 per square kilometre per month. The rate was revised to ₹2.48 in 2013 and finally to ₹4.15 in 2021.

Contending that this amount remains inadequate for proper upkeep, RWAs have regularly requested MC to increase it for better upkeep of the parks. Ironically, at the parks under its care, MC spends at least ₹6 per square km per month.

“Currently, MC is unable to pay fulfil its monthly liabilities. Besides payments of RWAs, bills of many other contractors or firms have yet to be reimbursed. We are trying to increase our revenue and are seeking financial help from the Chandigarh administration to resume all works at the earliest,” said MC officials.

For months, MC has been seeking additional grant of ₹200 crore from the Chandigarh administration, but UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria has not announced any grant. Instead, he had directed MC officials and councillors to curtail expenses and focus on improving MC’s own revenue generation.