Govt approves formation of 2,972 Mohalla Sabhas

NEW DELHI: The Arvind Kejriwal government on Thursday approved the formation of 2,972 Mohalla Sabhas across the 70 assembly constituencies in Delhi. Aimed at decentralization of governance, development works worth Rs 350 crore under the Citizen Local Area Development (C-LAD) will decided through mohalla sabhas.

The Rs 350-crore fund will be distributed equally among all the Mohalla Sabhas. The number of sabhas will vary depending on the size of the constituency. There will be 40-70 local units in each constituency, sources said.

The Delhi cabinet, which approved the decision, also cleared the proposal to appoint two coordinators for each mohalla sabha -- one male and one female -- who will be local residents of that area.

The coordinators will organize and facilitate monthly mohalla sabha meetings. The revenue department will soon notify the decision, paving the way for the organisation of the Mohalla Sabhas.

Besides choosing development projects, the Mohalla Sabhas will coordinate with different government agencies for the execution of local development projects, identify and facilitate beneficiaries for welfare schemes such as old-age pension, and resolve grievances with the help of local officers.

“The idea is to empower the citizens to discuss, deliberate and decide on the works to be undertaken in their locality. The Delhi government conducted a pilot project of Mohalla Sabhas in 11 districts last year. Local residents were delegated the power to take decisions under C-LAD fund for executing development works in their areas. Based on the success of pilot project the government has decided to form Mohalla Sabhas in all parts of the city,” an official said.

Officials said the government conducted a detailed ground survey based on the inputs gathered from local citizens, public representatives and local officials according to which mohalla sabhas have been demarcated.

“GIS mapping of each mohalla was done by a dedicated team of experts using satellite maps and data was collected during the ground survey through My Tracks-a google enabled android application to ensure precision in delimitation,” an official said.

The government has also signed an MoU with Janaagraha, a Bangalore-based organisation specializing in citizen participation platforms, for the development of a dedicated software for the Mohalla Sabhas to ensure digital/IT enabled systems for better coordination and execution of works that will be demanded by the Mohalla Sabhas.