Jaisalmer: Voters in Ward No. 9 of Jaisalmer have warned they will boycott the upcoming municipal council elections unless basic civic facilities are provided, raising the slogan, “No facilities, no vote.”Residents, including many women, said the ward has been left in limbo between Municipal Council and Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO), with each blaming the other for sanitation and upkeep.Women residents alleged RIICO collects “thousands of rupees” from each household every year as a maintenance or facility charge, but the colony still lacks essential services. They said Municipal Council, in turn, refuses to carry out sanitation and maintenance work, citing RIICO’s responsibility for the area.Residents flagged non-functional or unused streetlights that leave stretches dark at night, adding to safety concerns. They also complained that garbage vehicles do not reach the area regularly, drains are broken or insufficient, and there is no proper sewerage system or sustained maintenance work.“We have been living with these problems for years. Neither the Municipal Council nor RIICO is taking responsibility. This time, we have decided to boycott the municipal elections,” residents said.They said the boycott is a protest, not a political move, and demanded clear accountability and basic infrastructure such as roads, drainage, sewerage, regular garbage collection, sanitation and working streetlights.RIICO Regional Manager Mahesh Patel acknowledged that RIICO has been collecting facility charges from residents for the past one-and-a-half to two years and, therefore, the responsibility for maintenance lies with RIICO rather than Municipal Council.He said RIICO makes every effort to provide services despite having fewer resources than Municipal Council. Complaints related to streetlights, cleanliness and other civic issues are acted upon promptly, he added.Patel said RIICO had submitted a proposal to the state govt around two years ago to formally transfer the colonies to Municipal Council for development and civic services. However, no decision has been taken on the proposal so far.
