| WARD LEVEL MANAGEMENT
THE CONCEPT
Decentralisation of urban governance to the ward level is
the key to introducing choice, accountability, transparency
and citizen participation. Empowering local representatives
is a way to empowering the citizens. A ward is the smallest
unit of urban governance. Each ward elects a councillor. The
municipal corporation consists of councillors who elect a
Mayor. But the executive power vests solely with the municipal
commissioner, who is a bureaucrat appointed by the state government.
The Mayor and the councillors have no power over the commissioner
and municipal employees. This leads to two problems:
- Separation of authority and responsibility
The Mayor and the councillors are responsible to the citizens
but have no powers. The commissioner is not elected but
appointed, but has the power.
- Centralisation
It is impractical for the citizens to approach the commissioner
or even the zonal offices. For example, the Municipal Corporation
of Delhi caters to a population of 13 million. There is
no way the commissioner or the zonal deputy commissioners
can respond the complaints from such a large population
within reasonable time.
The solution is to decentralise the administration to the
ward level. There are 134 wards in Delhi and the councillor
of each ward, entrusted with executive powers, can be responsible
to his constituency.
Fig: Functions that may be devolved to a ward
BEYOND WARD LEVEL MANAGEMENT
The average population per ward in Delhi is one lakhs. The
distance between the elected representative and the citizens
is still too large. To give citizens more voice, the ward
should be divided further divided into ‘Area Sabhas’.
Each area sabha can consist of two or three contagious polling
booths. Citizens of the area sabha elect a area Sabha member,
who becomes a part of the ward committee. The councillor is
the chairperson of the ward committee. The ward committee
decides on issues concerning the ward and facilitates participatory
governance at the ward level.
Fig: New spaces for participation (yellow boxes) will ensure
every citizen has a say
CCS’ EFFORTS IN WARD LEVEL MANAGEMENT
CONFERENCE ON WARD LEVEL MANAGEMENT
‘Ward Power: Reforms in Urban Governance’ was
a seminar conducted by CCS in partnership with Jawaharlal
Nehru University on 10th June 2005. The program invited scholars
from across the country to present papers on decentralisation
in urban governance.
Accomplishments
- The Chief Guest was Mr. Wajahat Habibullah, Secretary,
Panchayati Raj.
- Event was attended by targeting 80 participants consisting
of policy makers, government officials, civil society representatives,
residential welfare associations and students
- Book: ‘Ward Power: Decentralisation
Urban Governance’
The papers were compiled into the above book intended to
be a resource for policy makers and research institutions
on decentralisation.
 The
book was launched at 2nd March 2006 in partnership with Indian
Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi.
Fig: Dr. Parth Shah, Mr. T.S.R. Subramanian and Dr. Sanjeev
Reddy at the book launch
- CCS has made presentations on Ward Level Management at
its seminars and this has provided students a new way to
approach issues in urban governance.
PAPER ON DECENTRALISATION
Inspite of the 74th Constitutional Amendment passed in 1993
most states have not devolved powers to municipalities. The
papered provides a background of the amendment and compares
the provisions of the 74th Amendment with the provisions in
the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act 1957.
Accomplishments
The paper was presented in the JNNURM meeting on Delhi civil
society organisations and participants were made aware of
the lacunae in the existing municipal act and areas of improvement.
It will also be sent to policy makers working on JNNURM projects
to assist them in strengthening local governance.
COMMENTARY OF THE MODEL NAGARA RAJ BILL
Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
(JNNURM), the central government has brought out a model bill
to provide legitimate spaces for participatory governance.
It includes the concept of area sabhas as discussed above.
CCS has commented on the bill and made suggestions for change.
CCS will work with policy makers to implement the law in their
states.
Expected accomplishments
We hope to influence state government so that they create
an urban governance structure similar to the Panchayati Raj
system in the rural areas, so that each citizen can participate
at the local level. The laws should devolve powers in letter
and spirit.
BOOK: VOLUNTARY CITY
On parallel lines, CCS reprinted a path-breaking book on private
city planning and development. Voluntary City by David T Bieto,
Peter Gordon and Alexander Tabarrok was reprinted in India
with the permission of the Michigan University Press. Mr.
Ramesh Ramanathan, the founder of Bangalore-based Janaagraha,
wrote the overview for the book.
Description from the inside flap of the book:
The book assembles a rich history and analysis of large-scale,
private and voluntary, community-based provision of social
services, urban infrastructure, and community governance
to restore the vitality of city life. Such systems provide
education, transportation, housing, crime control, parks
and recreation, health care, employment, and more, by being
more effective, innovative, and responsive than those provided
through special-interest politics-as-usual and bureaucracy.
The Voluntary City reveals how the process of providing
local public goods through the dynamism of freely competitive,
market-based entrepreneurship is unmatched in renewing communities
and strengthening the bonds of civil society.
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