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Objectives Introduction Meaning and Nature of Local Self-Government Urbanisation in India Seventy-Fourth Constitutional Amendment Urban Local Self-Government Urban Development Authorities Administrative Structure Finance State and Local Self-Government Let Us Sum Up Key Words References and Further Readings Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises
19.0 OBJECTIVES
After studying this Unit you should be able to: Describe tlie trends in urbanisation in India; Discuss the composition of councils, committee systems in Municipal Corporation and Municipalities in India; Explain the role of Political Executives and Commissioners; Examine the status of municipal personnel and finances; and Highlight.the State-Urban local body relations.
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19.1 INTRODUCTION
In the developing countries, the Colonial Governments during the period of their domination established several statutory institutions. Among them Urban Local SelfGovernment institutions are most prominent. Ever since the establishment of Madras (Chennai) Municipal Corporation four centuries ago, there has been a , proliferation of municipal bodies to manage the town and city. Lord Rippon's resolution in 1882 sought to place these Urban Local Government institutions on a sound organisational footing. They have been working with different degrees of success in administering the city. In this Unit, we shall examine the nature of urbanisation in India, different types of urban local bodies, administrative structure, role of bureaucracy, municipal finance, control over local bodies and their problem areas.
The adjective 'local' stands for a small geographical area. Also, it means intimate social relations of the people in a limited geographical space. The other word, 'Government' stands for a public authority. In a democracy, Government may be at national level, state level and the Regional Government at the regional level. Below the regional level, there is the 'local' level where 'Government' can be legally constituted. This means, there are many Local Government units below the National and Regional Governments, which exercise authority and discharge a number of important local functions on the basis of statutory decentralisation. Local Self-Government lias three important features:
Municipal Administration
estimate India's urban population to become almost double and from 2001 to 2021 it is expected to double again taking the urban population to more than 600 millions. India recorded a population of 1,027,O 15,247 on 1" March 200 1. ?he data indicates that 72.2 per cent persons were recorded in rural areas and remaining 27.8 per cent in urban areas. Urban population growth is supposed to be an indicator of general economic development. Delhi is the most Urbanized State in India with over 93per cent of its population being Urban. Amongst the other major States, the 'most urbanized is Tamil Nadu with 43.86 per cent urban population. Maharashtra has the maximum urban population but is the second most urbanized State with 42.40 per cent Urban Population. Uttar Pradesh contributing nearly 2lper cent to the State's total population, but in terms of urbanisation it ranks twenty fifth in the list. Gujarat is third most urbanized State having 37.35 per cent urban population. The Himachal Pradesh is least urbanized (most Rural) State having 9.79 per cent followed by Bihar 10.47 per cent and Sikkim 11.1 per cent. In India, lack of employment opportunities in the rural areas has led to city-ward migration of large rural population, which is commonly known as the 'push' factor of urbanisation. The migrants generally choose to settle in large cities where, as a consequence, population increase is not matched by planned infrastructure development. Roads, water supply, housing, drainage and sewerage, transportation facilities - all suffer from short supply in the face of mounting population pressure. Our large cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi etc. are all having large slum population and there is chronic shortage of essential civic services and facilities in these cities. There has been a notion that India is an over-urbanized State, because of their substantial increase in population over the years. This thesis is advanced on the ground that there is a mismatch between the levelsi of industrialization and urbanisation. The process of urbanisation is costly and impinges upon the economic growth. The State of infrastructure is poor and is not in a position to take the growing urban pressure.
, the Members of the House of the People and the Legislative Assembly of the
State representing constituencies, which are wholly or partly under the municipal area; .
the members of the Council of States and the Sate Legislative Council who are registered as electors within the municipal area;
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Municipal Administration
chairpersons of the Committees of the municipal authorities; and persons having special knowledge or experience in municipal administration (without right to vote).
The Ward Committees are to be composed of members of the Municipal Council representing the wards within the jurisdiction and one of the elected representatives from within the wards is to be appointed as its Chairperson. But the constitution gives discretion to the State Government to decide the composition. Another important provision of the Constitution Amendment pertains to the municipal authorities, right to exist. It gives a term of five years, to the municipalities and if at all they have to be dissolved, they must be given an opportunity of being heard. Even if they have to be dissolved because of any irregularity, fresh elections are to be held within six months. This prevents the phenomenon of prolonged supersession or years together. Empowerment of weaker sections of society and women is one of the substantive provisions of the Constitution Amendment. With a view to empowering the scheduled castes and tribes as well as women, it provides for the reservation of seats in the Council. Besides such reservations, the most important provision of the Constitution Amendment is empowerment of women for which one-third of the total seats are to be reserved.
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To keep the municipal elections out of the direct control of the State Government, and to ensure free and fair elections to the municipal bodies, the Consti,tution Amendment has provided for an independent State Election Commission (also for Panchayat elections), consisting of an Election Commissioner to be appointed by the Governor. The most important feature of the Seventy-Fourth Constitutional Amendment, in financial sphere, in the mandatory constitution of Finance Commission by the State Government is once in every five years. The State Finance Commission is to make recommendations regarding the principles to govern sharing of the State taxes, fees etc. between the State Government and the Municipalities; and also its distribution among the Municipalities. The commission has also to suggest the principles for the determination of taxes and fees to be assigned to them and the grants-in-aid to be given to the municipal authorities out of the consolidated fund of the State. It also has the mandate to suggest ways and means of improving the financial position of the municipal authorities. Moreover, the need for non-plan funds of the Municipalities is now to be looked by the Union Finance Commission as well. Federal transfers will now be available also for the municipal authorities. This is an amendment of far reaching importance. The Constitution Amendment provides for setting up of the District Planning Committees to consolidate the plans prepared by the Municipalifies and the Panchayats within the district; and to prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole. The Municipalities are to be represented on it. Plans so prepared are to be forwarded by the Chairperson of the Planning Committee to the State Government. Similarly, Metropolitan Planning Committees are to be set up in the metropolitan areas on which the municipal authorities are to be represented. The 74"' Constitution Amendment is a landmark legislation that, for the first time, accords constitutional status to Municipal Government and provides for broader social participation in local councils, people's involvement in civic development, enlargement of functional domain by inserting the Twelfth Schedule, continuity through regular elections and regular funds flow from the higher level Governments. The other important dimension is constitutions! recoy~itiori of micro-levcl planning
coordinated by the District Planning Committee. These are the brighter aspects of the Amendment. There are, however, the grayer areas as well. It has missed a valuable opportunity to specify the functions and also the sources of local revenues. This wouldhave prevented the State encroachment into these spheres.