Who Governs Our Cities……A Ravindra
Recent scams have shown how apathy and political greed are ruining our urban infrastructure
Recent scams have shown how apathy and political greed are ruining our urban infrastructure
All the confusion and controversy that surrounded the organisation of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi raises a fundamental question who governs our national capital Is it the central government or the state government or the local government,viz the municipal corporation There is no straight answer nor is it easy to demystify the process of governance of the capital city.
Delhi is divided into three statutory urban regions the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC),the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Delhi Cantonment Board.The National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT) was created in 2007 and has its own elected legislature and council of ministers.DMC is an elected body with a mayor as its head while the NDMC,covering an area of 43.7 sq km,is governed by a council with a chairman appointed by the central government and includes the chief minister of Delhi.NTC is headed by the lieutenant governor who also happens to be the chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).Trying to understand the roles and responsibilities of these authorities will only make the confusion worse.
Let us now look at the agencies which were responsible for organising the Commonwealth Games.The central ministry for youth affairs and sports was the nodal ministry for the Games,The Group of Ministers chaired by the Union minister for urban development was responsible for top level policy decisions and the committee of secretaries chaired by the cabinet secretary monitored the implementation of these decisions.The lieutenant governor of Delhi was responsible for law and order,the chief ministers committee for infrastructure activities and the committee headed by the chief secretary of Delhi were in charge of overseeing projects executed by the government of NCT.Other implementing agencies for infrastructure and venue development included the NDMC,MCD,DDA and the central PWD.The Organising Committee headed by Suresh Kalmadi was responsible for successful conduct of the Games.With so many agencies involved,it was surely a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.
The fact is that Indian cities,unlike many cities abroad,lack leadership.The mayor,supposed to be the first citizen of the city,has neither the time nor the power to steer the citys affairs.His tenure is a glorious one year in cities like Delhi and Bangalore or a slightly extended 20 months in some other cities.Contrast this with cities such as London,Paris or New York where the mayor is looked upon as a person to lead and guide the destiny of the city in good times and bad.Following 9/11,it was mayor of New York,Rudy Guiliani,and not the governor or president,who played a key role in restoring the city and the spirit of its citizens.For the upcoming Olympic Games in London in 2012,it is the mayor,Boris Johnson,who has signed the Host City Contract.
It is time for radical reforms in city governance.The 74constitutional amendment of 1993 aimed at making the municipalities units of selfgovernance.Seventeen years down the line,this vision has remained mostly on paper.A multiplicity of authorities are engaged in administering a metropolitan city the municipal corporation,water board,electricity board,urban development authority,road transport corporation,slum clearance board and over and above all these,the state government wielding powers of control and direction.The decentralisation envisaged under the constitution remains a mirage.State governments are reluctant to let go of their powers over cities which not only generate wealth but wealthy politicians and bureaucrats,exemplified by the recent scams: Commonwealth Games in Delhi,Adarsh in Mumbai and land deals elsewhere.The urban growth in India is accompanied by the growth of political economy in its ugly form.
As the Indian population turns more and more urban and with increasing number of urban electoral constituencies,cities are becoming battlegrounds of political power.In the last elections to one of the largest municipal corporations in India,candidates are said to have spent up to Rs 2 crore to win a small ward of not more than 30-40,000 people an indicator of the enormous scope for corruption in our fast-growing metros.No wonder civic services suffer and urban infrastructure is far below the expected standards.
Any urban reform agenda should aim at creating city-level leadership along with accountability.This can be achieved by introducing a system of a directly elected mayor with executive powers and a five-year tenure.The mayor with his team would become responsible for all civic services and major city activities.Ward and neighbourhood committees would be constituted with powers to deal with local issues.The central and state governments would have to devolve adequate authority and resources to the local governments to function effectively.Systems and procedures would need to be streamlined to ensure transparency,accountability and efficiency.
Not that these reforms will transform our cities overnight but they are likely to throw up city-level leaders who will behave more responsibly.A system of checks and balances will have to be put in place.Local democracy also demands a vigilant citizenry that is more law-compliant.Ultimately,good governance is a combination of enlightened leadership and responsible citizenship.
The writer is former chief secretary of Karnataka.
* Our urban spaces will become increasingly important in coming years