Telangana SCERT Solution Class VI (6) Social Studies Chapter 14 Local Self-Government in Urban Areas.
( 1 ) How is garbage collected in your locality ? What happens to it ?
In my locality, garbage is collected on a daily basis.The workers are equipped with certain basic facilities such as gloves , masks and wheel- carts. For the purpose of collecting and dumping the garbage into the yard, hydraulic dumper bins are used by the workers. Moreover, the plastics are then separated from other waste products and these wastes are then used for the purpose of power generation. So, from the above points it is clear that, an effective management of waste disposal is followed in our locality which not only helps in preventing the problem of drainage issue but also helps in curbing the rapid spread of diseases.
2 ) What are the public amenities provided by the municipality but not by a Panchayat?
Municipality refers to a large organization , which performs an essential role in providing public amenities in towns and cities. On the basis of the size of the population, there are mainly three types of municipal bodies . As for example, Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council and Municipal Corporation. Street lightning, maintenance of roads and buildings, collection and disposal of garbage, assurance of water supply, proper functioning of school and health care departments are for instance, some of the tasks that are executed by the municipality. Apart from providing these essential amenities , they are also responsible for carrying out several developmental works. So, these are the public amenities that are provided by the municipality.
( 3 ) If you live in a town, prepare a list of work done by the municipality in your ward during the last two years.
Municipality plays an important role in providing the basic amenities. In our town, several public welfare schemes has been proposed by the municipality during the last two years. They have provided us with several essential facilities like supply of adequate quantity of water , proper collection and disposal of waste , collection of tax in an effective manner, proper maintenance of roads and cleaning of streets on a frequent basis. Earlier we had to face severe difficulties regarding the frequent power cuts , but in the last two years this problem has been solved by the municipality. In present times, we are provided with twenty hours electrical supply and hence, our problem has reduced to a considerable extent .Furthermore, with an aim of assuring women’s safety, street lights have been placed in every corner of the streets .
4 ) Pochamma says that her street tap gives water only for half an hour and several people queue up to fill their buckets . What would you advise her to do to solve this problem?
In this situation, I will recommend her to take a stand against this problematic issue. She , along with other people who are facing this water scarcity issue should disclose their problem to the local government body such as village panchayat or municipality. In this case, the local government should solve their problems in an effective manner but if the governing body fails to take this issue into consideration, then they should make an appeal to the higher authoritative body . Therefore, this will facilitate to attract the attention of the mass media, which in turn will compel the government to acknowledge this problem of water scarcity. So, in this way the problem of water scarcity will be solved in an efficient manner.
( 5 ) Xavier repairs street lights. He is employed by an electricity contractor who is engaged by the municipality. Xavier was injured due to electric shock . He could not work for two months. He did not get any wages for this period and was dismissed by his contractor. What would you advise him to do ?
In this situation, I would have advised him to raise a complaint against his contractor to the local government for treating him in an unfair manner . First of all, Xavier was injured when he was on his duty hours and this injury happened accidentally , so it was not his fault . Inspite of dismissing him from the work , his contractor would have taken him to the nearby healthcare centers and should have paid him his salary during this critical period. Furthermore, if the municipality fails to take any action against this case , then he should approach the consumer court .
( 6 ) What are the services of municipality in helping the poor?
Municipality bears an essential role for the purpose of helping the poor , with an aim of providing them the basic amenities which can contribute in enhancing their living conditions. The municipality can take an effective step by rendering them with basic requirements such as food, clothing and shelter. As, the financial condition of the poor people is extremely unstable, due to this reason they find it difficult to maintain their sustenance. So, if these basic amenities are provided to them , then it will help them to maintain their primarysubsistence in an efficient manner. Most importantly, the residing place of the poor people are extremely unhygienic . So, municipality should take this issue into consideration and should try to provide them a healthy environment in which they can reside without the fear of having infectious diseases. In this way, municipality can render services to the poor people, which in turn will help them to lead a sound and healthful life.
( 7 ) How do you differentiatethe village from the city?
There are several differences between the village and the cities. In cities , the number of people residing in those places are quite high. In villages only a small group of people resideand there are numerous trees, puddles and green lands which contributes in enhancing the beauty of the village. The number of shops and industries in cities are comparatively more than the villages. Owing to this reason, tremendous amount of facilities and planning are required in cities. Due to employment facilities, a large number of people are migrating to cities in search of jobs . Due to this reason, the cities are growing to a great extent and there are development of new colonies. The roads of the cities are always busy and congested. In cities , the public amenities are provided by the municipality whereas in villages, panchayat plays an important role in providing the basic amenities. Cities always stands in a better positionin terms of facilities and opportunities . Furthermore, a huge difference lies in the lifestyle of people in cities when compared to the villages. In cities, people are indulged in the sphere of industrial activities whereas in villages, people carry out agricultural activities and does not lead a complex life. In cities , there are numerous buildings and factories and the rate of pollution is extremely high in comparison to the villages.
( 8 ) What do you like the most in cities and villages?
Both cities and villages are equipped with their own unique features. In village, we get the opportunity to reside in pollution free environment whereas, in city life we lack this opportunity . Due to numerous factories and vehicles in the city ,the rate of pollution is also very high. So, here we are deprived of the availability of clean and fresh air. The domain of opportunities and facilities are extremely high in cities when compared to the village life. Here several facilities like education, employment and healthcare servicesare easily accessible whereas in village life , the agricultural activities has still remained a dominant mode of occupation . In villages, there are numerous trees, puddles and green lands which contributes in enhancing the beauty of the village and this naturalness of village has drawn my attention towards its beauty whereas , the materialistic nature of city has captured my attention. So, the above points clearly depicts the uniqueness of both villages and cities.
( 10 ) Frame a few questions to ask the local Corporator / Councillor to know the details of work done by the Municipality.
How much time duration is required to carry out this cleaning process, the frequency of conducting the cleaning , number of persons involved in this process of cleaning, the amount of wages they receive for executing these work, the frequency of cleaning the pipes, the time in which this cleaning process takes place, what immediate measures are taken when sewage line is blocked, the frequency of cleaning the sewage and the place from where these workers who are indulged in this type of cleaning activities comes from. So, these are some of the basic questions that I would have asked the local Corporator for the purpose of knowing the details of the work that are performed by the municipality.
( 11 ) Read the last para of page -124 ( ‘ Apart from sweepers …….allotted places ‘) read and comment on it .
The contractor not only bears the responsibility to employ the sweepers but he is also responsible for employing the truck drivers and other helpers. There are specific allocated places,which are used for the purpose of dumping waste products that are collected from different parts of the city.
( 12 ) Some people are expecting that the Municipality has to provide all the public amenities at lower cost. While others think that the Municipalities shouldprovide dignified working conditions for those who work for it. Write your arguments.
Municipality plays an importantrole in providing public amenities in towns and cities. Street lightning, maintenance of roads and buildings, collection and disposal of garbage, assurance of water supply, proper functioning of school and health care departments are for instance, some of the tasks that are executed by the municipality. Apart from providing public amenities at low cost , it is also very important that the Municipality should assure the dignified working conditions for those people who are constantly indulged in this working field because a respectable working condition is always required for executing the work in an efficient manner .