GUWAHATI: The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections were last held in June 2013 and the new councillors took charge in July 2013.
The final meeting of the councillors before their current terms ends was held on 20th July 2018 as this is the last month that they remain in charge of their respective wards. But even after 5 years of their tenure, only 49% Guwahatians know or recognise their councillors.
G Plus conducted a survey in all the 31 wards of Guwahati taking 50 residents as a sample size from each ward. The residents were selected according to the number of years that they have resided in the respective wards. All the residents interviewed have lived in their respective wards for more than 20 years.
In ward number 8, only 22% respondents knew who their councillor was, in ward 18 - 28%, in ward number 20- 16%, in ward number 13 – 44% and in ward number 16- 42%. In only just a few wards, more numbers of residents knew who their councillors were – in ward number 4, 78% respondents knew their councillor and similar results were seen in ward number 9 and 17. Taking the average of all the wards, it was found that only 49% residents knew who their councillor was.
A resident of Jyotikuchi (ward number 27), Komen Das said, “I have neither seen our councillor nor do I know his name.” Das had voted for Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) in 2013.
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In a comment riddled with irony, a resident of Solapara, Daljit Singh said, “I do not know our councillor as he has never visited our locality.” Solapara is a part of ward number 10 and the GMC mayor, Mrigen Sarania, is the councillor.
Many residents alleged that the councillors visit the localities only during elections and once the election is over, the councillors are nowhere to be seen. Allegations have also surfaced that they get busy in making money. But in some wards the residents are happy with the effort and initiative taken by the councillors.