‘No diktat to RWAs, only suggestions’

NOIDA: A few days after city magistrate Bachchu Singh wrote a letter to the RWAs over the latter’s functioning and area of work, he issued an amended letter on Monday stating that the word ‘guidelines’ referred to in the earlier letter be read as mere ‘suggestions.’
He also denied that any instructions or directives were given by him or his office to RWA federation over their functioning and area of work.“It is to clarify that wherever the word ‘stated guidelines and directives’ were referred to in the letter dated August 17 regarding presidents and secretaries of sector RWAs, they may be read as suggestions,” said Bachchu Singh in a letter issued on Monday to Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations (FONRWA) with a copy to SSP, SHOs, SP traffic and all sector RWAs.
The earlier letter dated August 17, while directing RWAs to improve security of their respective sectors, had also held them responsible for unpleasant incidents, if any. The RWA federation had opposed the move claiming that the administration and police have the responsibility to maintain law and order and not the residents.
On Monday, a FONRWA delegation led by its president N P Singh, general secretary A N Dhawan, vice-presidents Raghvender Dube and Main Pal Yadav and Anil Mishra met Bachchu Singh over the issue. During the meeting, the RWA federation also demanded that all RWAs be accorded legal/constitutional recognition/empowerment on the lines of rural welfare societies so as to ensure proper working of sector RWAs.
“We met city magistrate Bacchu Singh today and handed over a letter whereby we pointed out that while all RWAs are working smoothly towards safety and security of the sectors by way of installing CCTV cameras, security guards at sector gates and addressing civic issues like garbage disposal, parks, cleanliness etc., there’s a need to strengthen them with some authority,” said N P Singh, president, FONRWA.
Singh also demanded that dedicated boundary walls be constructed in residential sectors to ensure security on an urgent basis.