Wardha guardian minister asks civic body to prioritise ward-level development works

Every ward of Wardha city must develop equally, guardian minister Dr Pankaj Bhoyar said, asking the municipal council to extend cooperation on all fronts. He said council office-bearers and officials should also come forward to contribute to the city's development. Proposals for every ward should be prepared and submitted together, and the necessary funds for this will be provided, he said.

The remarks came at a meeting chaired by the guardian minister to discuss the city's development, pending issues and future requirements, attended by municipal council office-bearers and officials. The meeting was attended by District Collector Wanmathi C, District Superintendent of Police Saurabh Kumar Agrawal, council president Sudhir Pangul, vice-president Pradeep Thakur, along with chairpersons of all subject committees of the municipal council, corporators and officials.

An underground drainage and water supply system has been set up in the city, but problems are apprehended at various points, the minister said. He asked contractors, consultants and the municipal council to jointly inspect the system at the ward level and fix any faults found, adding that necessary assistance would be given for this. The guardian minister also said libraries have been started at various places in the city for students preparing for competitive exams, and these should be kept running regularly and properly maintained.

Municipal councils receive funds under the central government's Swachh Bharat Mission. He said proposals from all municipal councils in the district should be sent to the government, and efforts would be made to secure maximum funds under the mission. With the city's population and number of vehicles constantly rising, main intersections should be kept free of encroachment, the guardian minister directed. He also directed that the municipal council and police department jointly work out arrangements so that street vendors do not park their carts at unnecessary spots and obstruct traffic.

With the number of stray animals and dogs continuously rising, the minister directed the municipal council to set up a permanent system to deal with it. He said the police department should assist the municipal council if any problem arises while capturing stray animals. Directions were also given to spread awareness so that animal owners in the city or gram panchayat areas do not let their animals roam in the city.

No space is available anywhere in Wardha city to dump garbage, so daily waste has to be collected and taken to Injhapur. Vehicles are falling short for this, and some corporators at the meeting demanded 20 additional vehicles. The guardian minister said the necessary vehicles would be provided, and Avonith would extend cooperation for waste collection and disposal at Injhapur.

Ayushman Bharat cardholders get free treatment worth up to Rs 5 lakh. The number of cardholders is higher in rural areas, and the guardian minister directed corporators to come forward and hold camps at the ward level to increase this number in Wardha city. Sufficient water could not be stored this year in the Dham project, which supplies water to Wardha city, so directions were also given to draw up a plan to avert a possible water shortage.

Funds will be given for the development of the municipal council area under three heads from the District Planning Committee. For this, corporators were asked to coordinate with the council president, vice-president and chief officer to suggest priority works for their wards. The guardian minister said all proposals from every ward should be sent to the District Planning Committee together this week itself, and funds would be given from this year's provision.

At the meeting, the guardian minister sought the views of the council president, vice-president and corporators on the problems, expectations, pending issues in their wards and what new steps could be taken for the city. Several corporators raised issues concerning encroachment, stray animals, illegal businesses, CCTVs in schools and development works.