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प्रश्न
Several poor people in the city work as domestic servants as well as work for the Corporation, keeping the city clean. Yet the slums in which they live are quite filthy. This is because these slums seldom have any water and sanitation facilities. The reason often given by the Municipal Corporation is that the land in which the poor have set up their homes does not belong to them and that slum-dwellers do not pay taxes. However, people living in middle-class neighbourhoods pay very little in taxes compared to the amount of money the Corporation spends on them in setting up parks, street lighting facilities, regular garbage collection, etc. Also as you read in this chapter, the property taxes collected by the Municipality make up only 25-30 percent of its money.
Why do you think it is important that the Corporation should spend more money on slum localities? Why is it important that the Municipal Corporation provide the poor in the city with the same facilities that the rich get?
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उत्तर
The people living on the streets live in extremely unhygienic and filthy conditions. The Municipal Corporation is responsible for the welfare of all the people living in the city whether they live in posh localities or in slums. Slums are the breeding grounds of several diseases, and it is the municipal corporation’s job to keep the city clean and healthy. The presence of unequal living conditions is a factor that can add to the list of crimes taking place in the city. The Constitution of India talks about providing “equality of status and opportunity” to everyone. It also talks about providing “social, economic, and political justice” to each individual. Therefore, the problem of unequal living conditions has to be addressed. The Municipal Corporation should provide the poor in the city with the same facilities that the rich get. They should ensure that the poor do not experience any discrimination. The Municipal Corporation should spend more money on slum localities so as to provide the poor with the basic needs of proper food, clothing, and shelter. It can collect this money by various methods; for example, by increasing the amount of property taxes and by making use of its unused lands and building for the proper settlement of the people living in the slums.
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संबंधित प्रश्न
Have you ever wondered who is responsible for running all this (civic amenities)?
Do you know how decisions are made?
Read the following story and answer the questions that follow it:
One lazy Sunday afternoon Mala and her friends Shankar, Jehangir and Rehana were playing a game of cricket in the street.
Shankar had bowled a good over and although he nearly managed to get Rehana out, she was still batting. Frustrated, he bowled a short ball and hoped she would hit it for an easy catch. Instead, Rehana hit the ball so hard and so high that the street light broke. Rehana screamed, “Oh no, look what I’ve done!” Shankar said, “Yes! we forgot to make a rule that if you break the street light you are automatically out.” But Mala, Jehangir and Rehana were more worried about what had happened and they told Shankar he’d better stop thinking about the wicket.
Last week they had broken Nirmala Mausi’s window and had spent their pocket money to have it replaced.
- Would they have to dish out money again from their pockets?
- But who would they pay this to?
- To whom did the lights on the streets belong?
- Who changed them?
Read the following story and answer the question that follows it:
Rehana’s house was the closest and they ran and told her mother what had happened. Rehana’s mother said, “I don’t really know these things in great detail but I do know that it is the Municipal Corporation of the city that takes care of replacing lights. The best person to ask would be Yasmin Khala. She just retired from the Municipal Corporation. Go and ask her, and Rehana comes back home soon.”
Yasmin Khala lived in the same lane and she and Rehana’s mother were good friends. The children ran to Khala’s house and when she opened the door they began to tell her what had happened all at once! When they asked about the street light, Yasmin Khala laughed and said, “There is no one person that you can pay the money to. There is a big organisation called the Municipal Corporation that takes care of street lights, garbage collection, water supply, keeping the streets, and the market clean.”
“I’ve heard about the Municipal Corporation. They’ve put up signs around the city to inform people about Malaria,” said Mala.
“Yes, you are quite right. The Municipal Corporation is also responsible for ensuring that diseases do not break out in the city. It also runs schools, hospitals, and dispensaries. And makes gardens and maintains them,” said Yasmin Khala. Then she added, “Our city Pune is a big city and so here it is called a Municipal Corporation. In smaller towns, it is called a Municipal Council.”
List at least four different tasks that the Municipality does
Choose the correct option to complete the statement given below.
The Municipal Council is found in
State whether the sentence is true (T) or false (F).
Yasmin Khala was a retired judge.
State whether the sentence is true (T) or false (F).
The Commissioner and the administrative staff implement the decisions taken by the Councillor’s Committees and the councillors.
Matching Skill.
| Column A | Column B |
| (i) Councilors | (a) Provides basic amenities |
| (ii) Commissioner and administrative staff | (b) Collected by Corporation |
| (iii) Municipal Corporation | (c) Elected bodies |
| (iv) Property Taxes | (d) Hit by plague in 1994 |
| (v) Surat | (e) Appointed by the government |
Very Short Answer Type Question:
What had children done to the street light?
Very Short Answer Type Question:
How can common people keep their streets clean?
