Wards committees raise most issues despite fewer meets, Praja report reveals govt gaps

NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, a report by Praja Foundation titled “Status of Wards Committees of Delhi Municipal Corporation “ revealed that in the current municipal term (2023–2028), Wards Committees conducted just 68 meetings—47 per cent of the total 145 committee meetings held—but were responsible for raising 77 per cent of all issues (4,110 out of 5,316).

This sharply contrasts the previous term (2017–2022), where Wards Committees accounted for 36 per cent of meetings but raised over 61 per cent of the total issues.

According to the report, despite a sharp fall in meetings and citizen complaints reaching record levels, Delhi’s Wards Committees continue to be the most active forum for civic issue discussions.

The number of issues raised in Ward Committee meetings decreased by 5 times, whereas issues raised in all committee meetings decreased by 6.1 times from the previous term (2017 to 2018) to the current term (2023 to 2024).

Despite this potential, the report shows a stark disconnect between the volume of citizen complaints and the issues raised by elected representatives. Between 2017 and 2023, Delhi residents registered an average of 3.87 lakh complaints annually, primarily concerning water supply (42 per cent), sewerage (27 per cent), and solid waste management (5 per cent). Yet, only an average of 32 issues related to water supply were raised during the last term, and just 12 in the current term so far.

On average, 3,87,594 complaints were registered by citizens per year between 2017 and 2023. Top complaints received were related to water supply (42 per cent), sewerage (27 per cent) and solid waste management (5 per cent). West Zone received the highest number at 55,506, of which 23,948 were related to water and 23,636 were sewerage. Najafgarh received 3,581 complaints related to solid waste management.

However, in 2023, no issues were raised because Wards Committees were not constituted during that year.

“This demonstrates the importance of Ward Committees when operational,” said Milind Mhaske, CEO of Praja Foundation. “Even with fewer meetings, these committees are raising a disproportionate number of issues, showing their effectiveness in channelling civic concerns.”

Shreyas Chorgi, Research Manager at Praja, emphasised, “In 2024, solid waste management emerged as the top concern at 20 per cent of issues raised in Wards Committee meetings, while major citizen grievances like water supply remain underrepresented.”

Governance experts underscored the urgent need to institutionalise citizen participation. “Without functional Wards Committees, there is a clear breakdown in accountability,” said Shanti Narain, former Member (Traffic), Railway Board. “These bodies are essential to bridge the gap between citizens and their local governments.”

Praja’s report concludes with a call to action: institutionalise citizen representation in Wards Committees and ensure structured public participation in governance for a more responsive and accountable Delhi.