Editorial
Civic services in sordid state
Need for autonomy to local bodies
CENTER for Policy Dialogue (CPD) released their report this week revealing nearly two thirds of the respondents are dissatisfied with the services provided by municipalities and city corporations. Furthermore, CPD found that 63 percent of respondents heard about corrupt practices in development projects led by their municipalities and city corporations. The respondents highlighted problems like sanitation, drainage, water supply, insufficient lighting, construction and maintenance of roads, and poor waste management.
The respondents highlighted problems like sanitation, drainage, water supply, insufficient lighting, construction and maintenance of roads, and poor waste management.
CPD researchers added that municipalities and city corporations point to financial constraints behind their under-performance. Moreover, corruption at each level of the process is what came up for discussion over and over again. The many-stepped process of corruption leaves a little to work with when it comes to providing service to the city dwellers.
About 90 percent of the local governments' finance comes as government grant. The rest is locally collected. To top it off, there is a blanket control on government funds and without approval of line ministries no work can be undertaken. This evidently underscores the necessity for autonomy to the local bodies along with devolution of power.
Within the government poor management style including micro-management has created an extra layer of backwardness to the whole line of service.
Let's hope the revelations in the report will be put to good use and actions will follow to begin the remedial process in earnest.
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