Panel system to redefine administrative boundaries

Since representatives would be from panels,he said the administrative set-up would have to be amended. “The change in administrative set-up would come in force only after the new civic body is in place after the polls. The panels will be equally distributed among ward offices and there would be a change in jurisdiction of each ward office,” Karkar said.

The panel system will be of help to the civic administration,he said. “The PMC has decentralised civic functions by appointing a junior engineer for two wards for efficient delivery of civic services and appointed 72 civic officers for the job. Now,76 panels would demarcate boundaries of each junior engineer and help bring in an effective system.”

The two elected representatives in a panel would have to deal with one civic officer,Karkar said. “If more junior engineers are pressed into service,then there will be two officers with division of responsibility for a panel.”

There is no office for junior engineers and thus they would have to sit in the ward office,he said. “The PMC can plan a small office for civic officers in each panel so that citizens will have easy access to them.”

Civic activist Vivek Velankar said PMC has a good opportunity to ensure maximum use of its machinery by appointing junior engineers for each panel and allowing benefits of decentralisation to reach people.

“The panels will ensure improvement in civic services at no additional cost of appointing officers,” he said,however,raising doubts over the proposal to open a civic office in each panel.

Velankar said the PMC administration could make lack of funds an issue for not setting up new infrastructure for civic offices in each panel. “The PMC administration can avoid cost for infrastructure for civic offices as it can use existing citizen facilitation centre (kiosk) across the city.”

There is every facility in the kiosk for an office set-up. It can be used as a panel office,he added.