Functions as per the Constitution of India

The city government is the closest to the citizens. They interact with citizens to provide the basic amenities, provide access to various government programs and address local challenges. As mentioned in an earlier article, local governments are part of the State List of the Constitution and hence a state subject i.e. the state governments can make laws and provisions.

Thus, all statutory towns as per the Census definition, are formed as per State Municipal Acts which provide city governments these various powers and functions to provide the basic amenities and various other services. These powers are further guided by the 74th Amendment Act of the constitution. The Act mandated 18 broad functions that are to be delivered by the city governments. These include, but are not limited to, services like water supply, cesspool cleaning, providing roads and bridges, and poverty alleviation schemes. But in reality, the actual devolution of these functions vary from state to state, sometimes within the same state, and is subject to the discretion of the state government.

Provision of Amenities and Services

Typically, municipal governments have been responsible for providing amenities like clean water, sewage, garbage disposal. Provision of facilities like streetlights, parks and playgrounds, public transport also is a function of city governments. In terms of planning, the city government is often responsible for enforcing building codes, zoning laws and encouraging planned development of the city.

Municipalities traditionally raise funds through property taxes, user charges for amenities and through transfers from the state and union governments in federal structures. More recently, innovations such as municipal bonds have emerged to raise funds.

Since cities are responsible for service delivery, if they are not given adequate decision making powers, they will not be able to provide adequate support to the citizens. For example, in many cities, the city governments do not have control over water supply even though water supply is their responsibility according to the 74th CAA.

Citizens cannot approach the city government if they face any issues in supply. At the same time, these city governments do not get revenue from the user charges on water usage paid by the consumers. This creates a cycle that leads to poor last mile connectivity.

Represent Citizens

Unlike the bureaucratic system of governance, where officials can be posted in places other than their home city, the elected wing of the city governments is the one where local needs are represented. The technical, administrative and elected systems are expected to work in tandem to provide services to the residents of the city. A councillor acts as a liaison between the citizen and the municipal council, which is key to implementing various programs.

Each ward in a city gets at least one councillor to represent it but this varies across the country. For example, in Ahmedabad, each ward has four councillors. The councillor takes the concerns and needs of the ward to the city government. Not only that, the councillor is most often a resident of the ward itself, which leads to increased accessibility, accountability, and interest in the welfare of the area.

Often, officials from the administrative wing - such as Junior Engineers (JEs) and Sanitary Inspectors (SIs) - are tagged to particular wards. These administrative staff members also act as the medium between the ward and the city governments. They are responsible for enquiring about issues, making estimates for development works, and reporting to higher officials about problems in the wards. This process is made easier in states which have instituted ward level committees.

For example in Bhubaneswar, each ward has a committee with the members being the councillor, JEs, SIs, and other municipal staff along with the ward residents. This allows every ward-level stakeholder to be part of the conversation.

A city government that consists of officials elected from amongst the people of the city allows for cultural nuances, and for the history and geography of that region to be taken into consideration while making decisions for the city. Technical expertise, local data, can all be sourced to look for a solution to a problem that is unique to a ward or locality within a city.

Third Tier of Governance: Connect Citizens with State and National governments

India has a three-tier governance system. The 74th CAA recognised city governments as the third-tier of government, with the Union and State Government being the first two tiers. While the cities have their own responsibilities as per the various state acts (and the 74th CAA), they are also responsible for implementing various programs of state and national governments.

For example, in many states the implementation of programs like the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) and the Swachh Bharat Mission is the responsibility of the city governments, albeit under varying degrees of state government supervisions.

For example, in Mangalore, the municipal corporation is responsible for both central and state level schemes like NULM, and the 24.10% Scheme (for Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribe members of the city) respectively, through its Social Welfare Section. The section conducts beneficiary identification, reviews applications, and tenders the training of beneficiaries. At Ranchi Municipal Corporation, there are dedicated cells that are responsible for the implementation of NULM and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. These cells are headed by City Mission Managers who were recruited by the state government’s Urban Development & Housing Department, but they report to nodal officers at the corporation.

Implementation of central and state schemes by the city governments ensures decentralisation of the process. The city governments are able to focus on a limited geographic area and have better penetration of information and action. It is easier for citizens to approach city governments instead of state government institutions.

As we make the journey from understanding how we define cities to who runs these cities, the role of the laws governing urban governance comes to the center. The 74th Constitutional Amendment, which defined the powers to be devolved to the city governments in India, comes up multiple times. To build on our understanding of urban governance in India, we will discuss the Amendment in detail in the next article of Nagrikal.