Municipal Government
The 74th Amendment, 1992 — Part IX-A (Urban)
The 74th CAA constitutionalised urban local government — Part IX-A, in force 1 June 1993, Articles 243P–243ZG + Twelfth Schedule (18 functions). Spur: rapid urbanisation; the Charles Correa-chaired National Commission on Urbanisation (1988).
Three municipality types
- Municipal Corporation — larger urban area
- Municipal Council — smaller urban area
- Nagar Panchayat — transitional area
Twelfth Schedule (18 fns)
- urban planning
- water supply
- sanitation
- fire services
- land-use regulation
- public health
- solid waste
- slum improvement
Core provisions
- direct ward elections; nominated experts (by law)
- reservation: SC/ST & not less than 1/3 women + chairpersons
- 5-year tenure; SEC; State Finance Commission
- Article 243W — economic development & social justice
- Ward Committees (larger cities)
- DPC (243ZD) · Metropolitan Planning Cmte (243ZE)
Why ULBs stay weak — the “unfulfilled dream”
| Fault line | Detail |
|---|---|
| Incomplete functional devolution | 12th-Schedule functions not fully devolved; state agencies implement key services |
| Financial weakness | octroi abolished; weak property tax; ignored SFCs — Isher Judge Ahluwalia |
| Weak mayoral system | ceremonial mayor; Municipal Commissioner holds real power; short tenures |
| Parastatal dominance | BDA overshadows BBMP; DDA + MCD fragment Delhi governance |
| Special Purpose Vehicles | Smart Cities SPVs bypass elected councils |
| Delayed elections | e.g. Maharashtra corporations left without elected bodies for a period |
“Democratic decentralisation is barely alive… local governments remain hamstrung and ineffective; mere agents to do the bidding of higher-level governments.”
T. R. Raghunandan
“unwillingness of the system to devolve responsibility and funding to the city level”
Isher Judge Ahluwalia
Reforms: 3Fs + subsidiarity; property-tax reform, GIS assessment, municipal bonds (Pune’s INR 200 crore water-supply bond), user charges; JNNURM (65 cities); convert 3,784 Census Towns to statutory ULBs; municipal ombudsman, public hearings, social audit. China paradox: India is democratic yet municipalities lack power; the Mayor of Shanghai holds status comparable to the Mayor of London.
District Planning Committees & Integrated Planning
Composition (Art. 243ZD)
- elected representatives from Panchayats & Municipalities
- share based on rural–urban population of the district
- chairperson elected/appointed per state law
Functions
- consolidate Panchayat + municipal plans
- prepare draft district development plan
- integrate rural & urban priorities; spatial + sectoral
- prioritise projects, allocate resources, review
Problems: states delay constitution; DPCs lack real planning power; district administration dominates; departmental schemes run separately; peri-urban growth complicates planning. Metropolitan Planning Committees (Art. 243ZE) face similar problems.