The Charter, which is a directory of services aiming to educate citizens on ways to access civic facilities, is being jointly launched by BMC in association with Praja, a citizens group. It will be formally launched by Chief Minister Narayan Rane on June 5.

Additional municipal commissioner A K Jain said the Charter first originated in England when the governments headed by Margaret Thatcher and John Major felt citizens should know their right to public utilities. In India, the government has endorsed the idea and directed that all central and state departments should prepare such a Citizens Charter.

Jain explained the Charter is a comprehensive document which will provide citizens with information to facilitate redressal of daily civic problems. ``It covers eleven sections of the BMC and willprovide details on its services, to the point of clarifying where the buck stops.''

The directory includes a complaint procedure, the ward map of Mumbai, addresses of various ward offices and telephone numbers of civic officials. Its redressal system will be three-tier. ``The complaints will be first at the ward level. We have not fixed any benchmark or deadline but a practical time limit for action. If the problem persists, the citizen can move to the upper hierarchy of the civic body,'' said Jain, adding that the focus is on transparency.

Praja member Nitai Mehta said that though the Delhi civic corporation has taken the lead in launching a Citizens Charter, this is the first time an NGO and government body have together worked out one. ``Six lakh copies will be initially published. Besides, our Charter is much more broad-based, and we have received good co-operation from BMC. In case of chronic problems, citizens may contact us. We will help out,'' he assured.

Asked if he was aware of the rampantcorruption in BMC, where one had to give a bribe even to get a simple form, Mehta answered, ``Once people are aware of their rights they will overstep such hurdles. We are hoping to make a difference, and this will be a step towards controlling corruption.''

Civic commissioner K Nalinakshan said: ``Let's not begin on a pessimistic note. Let's have faith as bottlenecks are being cleared. We are aware of corruption. People should be aware of their rights. This is a new beginning in a different direction for better access of services. Action will be taken if laxity or misconduct is shown by civic staff. Praja will closely monitor and evaluate its functioning.''

Welcoming the Charter, Mayor Hareshwar Patil said even civic labour unions have accepted the Charter, promising to ensure its success by taking the message of co-operation to their rank and file. ``They have said that they are, after all, part of the masses and will benefit from it,'' he noted.