Municipal Mess – From MCD to BMC, paralysis of urban local bodies undermines local governance and democracy

Source: The post is based on the article “Municipal Mess – From MCD to BMC, paralysis of urban local bodies undermines local governance and democracy” published in The Times of India on 7th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

Relevance: About MCD mayor elections.

News: Recently, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) failed to elect its mayor for the third time in a month.

What are the reasons and impact of the delay in the MCD mayor elections?

Given Delhi’s unique governance structure with a multiplicity of authorities, ideally, the state and central governments should be working in harmony. But hyper-competitive politics is hampering the functions of MCD.

In the absence of a mayor, major decisions related to policy matters, development works and projects will get delayed.

What is the status of other municipal corporations?

For close to a year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) – the country’s richest civic body – has been managed by an administrator after its term expired and polls were delayed.

Further, 22 of 28 municipal corporations in Maharashtra have seen their terms expire without any fresh polls.

What is the performance of Municipalities?

The Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992 provided for the creation of urban local bodies and empowered state governments to devolve the responsibility of 18 functions including urban planning, regulation of land use, water supply etc.

A 2020 paper by PRS Legislative Research found that most state governments are reluctant to share power and taxes with local bodies.

675 million Indians are slated to live in urban centres by 2035, hence India needs smarter cities with proper urban governance instead of stalled local bodies.