Leaderspeak | Municipal Governance
Local Governments should have final say in matters of cities Governing cities is a complex matter. A common man cannot know for sure who makes the final decision in city matters. The problem is not unique to India. It is true for many cities and urban spaces around the world. On these issues, Prayagraj and Paris face similar fundamental challenges in urban governance. In most cases, the central or state government has control over subjects that can decide the future course of development of a city
Ranjit S Chavan | President, AIILSG
ith the growing population and evolving challenges, the contours and spectrum of urban governance are changing. The concept of locally elected governments running cities in India was firmly established after the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act in 1992. However, even after thirty years of constitutional validity, experimenting and learning, the management of urban affairs is an unsolved labyrinth for the common man. Cities in different states have several departments dealing with urban matters. Urban Local Bodies have 18 defined functions under the 12th Schedule for ensuring proper management of urban affairs and the socio-economic welfare of their citizens. Urban local governments in India lack uniformity in the governance system or standardization of urban management. As we all know that urban management is a state subject; every state in India has made its own rules for running local governments. Even the tenure of the mayor and the process of his/her election is not common across states. Some cities in India, like Delhi and Chandigarh, have only one-
30 June 2022 | www.urbanupdate.in
year term for the mayor while some have 2.5-year and some others 5-year term. Some states have provisions for direct election while some cities elect their mayors indirectly. Every state has different rules. One link that joins almost every local government in India is the dependence of municipal corporations on state and central government for fund allocation as per the recommendations of the State Finance Commission or via special project grants. Cities which are not dependent on state and central government can be counted on one’s fingers. There is a need for cities to be innovative and find new ways for creating multiple streams of revenue, away from traditional methods. This, of course, requires coordination with the state government and other parastatal agencies. Until cities get what they desire in terms of financial and administrative authority, they need to find ways in the existing system to generate more funds for new projects and programs. It is widely known that revenue generation has not kept pace with the expenditure requirements of local governments. The need of the hour
