CITY COUNCIL IN SHAMBLES!
Corporators and councilors are the only species that work for free round the clock and yet get all the brickbats. Why do people say we failed.
When the civic elections were held in 2005 the whole media went into frenzy. The world was made to believe that democracy had begun after all at the grass root level. There was so much hype that even the common people started believing in the assertion. People’s participation was phenomenal and we saw a record number of independents contesting. Some political parties did express their reservations but participated with great fervour ultimately. Sick of the infrastructural collapse and lack of any civic amenities for years, people looked to these elections as an opportunity. The up-gradation of the Srinagar Municipality to a Corporation gave a new hope that this starving institution would regain some health and respectability.
February 7 was the day wherefrom our journey began. We were told that it was a Godly mission and we were supposed to clean up the mess. The politicians did not miss any opportunity to make the people believe that with the corporation in place Srinagar would have good roads, clean lanes and by-lanes, there would be no overflowing drains, no stench, no water shortage, no load shedding, no long queues at the bus stops blah blah blah. A Corporator was projected something of a superman who could solve all and any problem. The legislators who had earlier opposed the civic polls tooth and nail felt more insecure. The impression created was that since Corporators had to work at the lowest tier of the democratic system, they formed the most important component of democracy. Some mavericks went to the extent of suggesting that the civic elections would offer a solution to the Kashmir issue itself. They started knitting an imaginary pattern; Assembly Elections, Elections to the Parliament, revival of Tourism, dialogue process, cultural exchanges; all these were presented as indicators of a lasting solution. The policy planners in Delhi projected all this as return of normalcy but the people who had braved militant threats and participated enthusiastically in the entire process soon started getting disillusioned. The SMC was starved of funds, promises of transferring revenue generating departments to the Corporation were not kept, the genuine demands of the Corporators were not met which led to great disenchantment amongst the people. The Corporators who were earlier hailed as the true grass root representatives were sidelined and never consulted for development or betterment of their segments. The Govt. succumbed to the pressure of the legislators who thought that the civic elections had eroded their authority. Instead of funding the wards, all the legislators were granted additionalities which were above the CDF. I can claim without any fear of contradiction that all these funds have been spent on works that only help the contractors or the MLA’s kith and kin. It would have strengthened our multi tier democratic system had our legislators shown some sense of accommodation and farsightedness and allowed the civic bodies to perform their constitutional obligations. In this regard let me mention one instance. At the constant demand of the area, the previous MLA had constructed the retention wall done the fencing and lighting at an enormous cost. at the Baba Mazaar, Zadibal. The wall was built to last several decades but the present MLA had the whole thing pulled down at an incredible cost of 10 Lacs. The entire material was re-used, devar stones, bricks, iron grills, lights etc, an expenditure that could have been utilized elsewhere. The people brought this to the notice of the Vigilance Organization and the Div Com but to my information, no action was taken either against the MLA or the concerned officers who connived with him. Unless there is some kind of accountability, the CDF will continue to be misused or wasted.
The expectations people had with corporation and its members have been belied. The government apathy, lack of funds and the war of attrition between the Mayor and the government has only worsened the situation. The city dwellers have every genuine reason to believe that we have failed them. Although a lot of time has been wasted in political squabbles by various political groupings there are a good number of Corporators who are committed and eager to contribute. If it were not so, why would they give their 100%, round the clock and without any pecuniary benefit unlike the legislators? The Corporations around the globe have never been at logger heads with the legislature or bureaucracy. The functions of our civic bodies are regulated by an act of the Legislature that become operative through the corporations/councils and their various Committees or sub committees. It’s a sad story that the majority party turned it into an organizational office and people’s hopes and aspirations were relegated to the background. It has excelled in the blame game and the main purpose has been lost. SMC is an institution and I find it in bad taste that the Mayor should have decided to put the party flag and not the State flag on the Corporation Gate.
It was heartening to see the Chief Minister Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad inviting all the councilors at the SKICC, and stressing on high standards he expected from us. In his address he had promised that he would have a workshop organized for providing the necessary inputs to the Corporators and also look into our grievances. Nothing happened except that the Mayor was accorded Z-category security with a salary and the status of a cabinet minister. I hope someone in the corridors of power will realize that several candidates were gunned down during the civic elections and many councilors and Corporators lost their lives after they got elected. They all have a severe threat perception that has forced them to abandon their families and homes. Many gave up their jobs or businesses because they were lured by promises. It is absurd that a member should be expected to work at the grass root level, without any security and any means of mobility and yet be expected to be available to his ward. You raise the salaries of the legislators a whopping 400% but do not apply even the minimum wages Act to Corporators. Never in the history of democratic India were members salaries and allowances given such a steep hike and as it stands now, our members will be paid more even than the MPs. Isn’t that very unfair and yet we accuse Corporators of non-performance.
Mr. Azad must take a cue from the Delhi Corporation. If the Congress got a majority there it was largely because of the hard work put in by the Corporators in their respective wards and not because of the performance of the MLA.s. We are like toothless tigers that can neither bite nor eat grass. All the promises made have evaporated in thin air and barring a few, most of us feel disheartened. The CM has taken some decisions that will have far reaching consequences. If he wants vibrant civic bodies then they have to be empowered, the second alternative would be, and that will make the MLAs happier, to wind them up. There is no point having institutionsise that are crippled by design. I am sure the CM is aware that most of the MLAs from the Srinagar city route their entire Constituency Development Fund through the REW (Rural Department), because that way they do not have to adhere to Codal formalities, works are not put to tender and one can give them to favourite contractors for obvious reasons. What normally should have been the job of the SMC is entrusted to an authority that as the name suggests is meant for the rural areas. So, who is making the SMC dysfunctional? The Hon. CM has repeatedly spelled out his dreams of a Khosh-hal Kashmir where there would be accountability and answerability. I hope he will have all this investigated if he means what he says. I would also suggest that the total expenditure on account of CDF and any additionality should be made public at the end of every financial year. People have a right to know and they must know where and how the money was spent. Secondly, it must be ensured that the amount given to the legislators is equitably distributed in the wards of the Constituency in consultation with the respective Councilor or else the expenditure will remain lopsided. For smooth functioning of the democratic system, Members of the Assembly and the elected Corporators have to compliment each other and work in unison. This perhaps could be achieved by:
· The corporation in the city limits should be responsible for health services, housing, roads, education, social services and transport with limited interferences from the state government. The state governments could take up the Strategic services like Law and Order, Funds etc. Let’s give full authority to a councilor along with power to promote economic, social and environmental well being of their areas.
· Local Corporation should be in a position to raise taxes but it should be well funded by a combination of local and state grants ..The ambit of revenue collection in terms of taxes should be extended to passenger , fire services and electricity, water etc/.
· Since the proposal of well maintained roads and const of bridges are in the offing the whole development activity should be done in consultation with the elected Corporators, this will facilitate the concept of development at grass roots level. Any construction in and around the city should be done by the corporation. I still remember how the Demolition and construction part was taken back from SMC after an order was issued from the secretariat. This shouldn’t happen. Everyone is aware that the Lake authority has only gained in size and like a proverbial white elephant gulps 80% of its budget for its survival , About its track record , less said the better , I would also advise the government to put the LAWWDA, CTP and the SDA under the control of the proposed corporation to avoid dual authority and speedy implementation of decisions .
· A Councilor /Corporator should be given a minimum of 25 lacs as Ward development fund like they have done it in DMC and any additional funds should be given directly to the SMC under the control of the councilors and not MLA’s ,with strict guidelines that all codal formalities should be adhered to. This will boost the concept of governance at grass root and ensure transparency.
· A Corporator should be given a respectable honorarium and once the corporation is in a position to generate its own resources, it can be stopped or reconsidered.
· It should be made mandatory that all the CDF or additionality allowed to legislators should be utilized through the SMC alone. This will cut on the corruption and help in checking wrongdoings. For more meaningful functioning of the SMC (Like in Delhi Municipal Corporation) MLA’s and MP’s should be nominated to Corporation on rotational basis.
· At our own level well programmed schedule should be made for day to day interaction with the citizens and if they have proper knowledge about the functioning of the corporation, its rules and its activities much of the misunderstanding, harassment and delay can be reduced.
· We should encourage the concept of “Open Market Borrowing” where Municipal Corporation is in a position to carry out developmental works in Municipal limits by borrowing funds from commercial banks ceiling of which can be determined by the State Government.
· We need a Master Plan for Srinagar which does not take many years to realize. Combined and separate actions by the various implementers and promoters must unfold in a sequenced progression of moves, directed by the coordinated Master Plan. The Plan should identify key development and conservation sites, and should present a set of actions organized on priority. We cant keep on changing the master plans every time, We have to think forward, we have to be futuristic and think 20 years from now. People who walk are people who buy, eat and drink, support culture, and who socialize, keep watch over public safety, and draw more people to the streets which ultimately increase investment in the city, we have to draw a mechanism where the concept of dykes is introduced. Mr. Pampori is a veteran town planner and his age has not diminished his vigour vitality or enthusiasm for a breathing city. We need experts like him and not the sycophants we have at the helm at present.
· Apart from all this we need to sincerely and seriously think about Employment generation, Improving the quality of life, especially of the poor in a resource efficient manner, efficient and equitable delivery of services, including urban transport, strengthening and reorienting the municipal authorities to enable them to play the role of development managers, strengthening the existing institutional mechanism and, balancing the widening city size hierarchies. Let us do it NOW!
· Let us not trivialize issues but aspire for a tomorrow that is peaceful, brighter and better. We are in the process of enacting some very productive by laws with regard to building activities and solid waste management , they are indeed people friendly , and will prove to be less time consuming and productive . I think we are doing our bit. Its for the other side to reciprocate
And finally, Healthy criticism may be good for democracy but criticizing just for the sake of criticizing is against the basic essence of democracy. At the local level, peoples day to day problems have to be redressed, the 15 years of tumult have destroyed the entire infrastructure; Unemployment is a major challenge because all our avenues are shut, which is why our youth have opted for other means. We need to listen to our people and address their genuine concerns. We can’t afford blocking our vision or closing our eyes. We cannot create vibrant democratic institutions without total participation of the people. True, seventy percent elected members of our civic bodies are youth and it is the segment of our population that has a lot of enthusiasm and commitment. The question is should their commitment be wasted for petty political consideration or should they be given total support to succeed? What is the answer?
February 7 was the day wherefrom our journey began. We were told that it was a Godly mission and we were supposed to clean up the mess. The politicians did not miss any opportunity to make the people believe that with the corporation in place Srinagar would have good roads, clean lanes and by-lanes, there would be no overflowing drains, no stench, no water shortage, no load shedding, no long queues at the bus stops blah blah blah. A Corporator was projected something of a superman who could solve all and any problem. The legislators who had earlier opposed the civic polls tooth and nail felt more insecure. The impression created was that since Corporators had to work at the lowest tier of the democratic system, they formed the most important component of democracy. Some mavericks went to the extent of suggesting that the civic elections would offer a solution to the Kashmir issue itself. They started knitting an imaginary pattern; Assembly Elections, Elections to the Parliament, revival of Tourism, dialogue process, cultural exchanges; all these were presented as indicators of a lasting solution. The policy planners in Delhi projected all this as return of normalcy but the people who had braved militant threats and participated enthusiastically in the entire process soon started getting disillusioned. The SMC was starved of funds, promises of transferring revenue generating departments to the Corporation were not kept, the genuine demands of the Corporators were not met which led to great disenchantment amongst the people. The Corporators who were earlier hailed as the true grass root representatives were sidelined and never consulted for development or betterment of their segments. The Govt. succumbed to the pressure of the legislators who thought that the civic elections had eroded their authority. Instead of funding the wards, all the legislators were granted additionalities which were above the CDF. I can claim without any fear of contradiction that all these funds have been spent on works that only help the contractors or the MLA’s kith and kin. It would have strengthened our multi tier democratic system had our legislators shown some sense of accommodation and farsightedness and allowed the civic bodies to perform their constitutional obligations. In this regard let me mention one instance. At the constant demand of the area, the previous MLA had constructed the retention wall done the fencing and lighting at an enormous cost. at the Baba Mazaar, Zadibal. The wall was built to last several decades but the present MLA had the whole thing pulled down at an incredible cost of 10 Lacs. The entire material was re-used, devar stones, bricks, iron grills, lights etc, an expenditure that could have been utilized elsewhere. The people brought this to the notice of the Vigilance Organization and the Div Com but to my information, no action was taken either against the MLA or the concerned officers who connived with him. Unless there is some kind of accountability, the CDF will continue to be misused or wasted.
The expectations people had with corporation and its members have been belied. The government apathy, lack of funds and the war of attrition between the Mayor and the government has only worsened the situation. The city dwellers have every genuine reason to believe that we have failed them. Although a lot of time has been wasted in political squabbles by various political groupings there are a good number of Corporators who are committed and eager to contribute. If it were not so, why would they give their 100%, round the clock and without any pecuniary benefit unlike the legislators? The Corporations around the globe have never been at logger heads with the legislature or bureaucracy. The functions of our civic bodies are regulated by an act of the Legislature that become operative through the corporations/councils and their various Committees or sub committees. It’s a sad story that the majority party turned it into an organizational office and people’s hopes and aspirations were relegated to the background. It has excelled in the blame game and the main purpose has been lost. SMC is an institution and I find it in bad taste that the Mayor should have decided to put the party flag and not the State flag on the Corporation Gate.
It was heartening to see the Chief Minister Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad inviting all the councilors at the SKICC, and stressing on high standards he expected from us. In his address he had promised that he would have a workshop organized for providing the necessary inputs to the Corporators and also look into our grievances. Nothing happened except that the Mayor was accorded Z-category security with a salary and the status of a cabinet minister. I hope someone in the corridors of power will realize that several candidates were gunned down during the civic elections and many councilors and Corporators lost their lives after they got elected. They all have a severe threat perception that has forced them to abandon their families and homes. Many gave up their jobs or businesses because they were lured by promises. It is absurd that a member should be expected to work at the grass root level, without any security and any means of mobility and yet be expected to be available to his ward. You raise the salaries of the legislators a whopping 400% but do not apply even the minimum wages Act to Corporators. Never in the history of democratic India were members salaries and allowances given such a steep hike and as it stands now, our members will be paid more even than the MPs. Isn’t that very unfair and yet we accuse Corporators of non-performance.
Mr. Azad must take a cue from the Delhi Corporation. If the Congress got a majority there it was largely because of the hard work put in by the Corporators in their respective wards and not because of the performance of the MLA.s. We are like toothless tigers that can neither bite nor eat grass. All the promises made have evaporated in thin air and barring a few, most of us feel disheartened. The CM has taken some decisions that will have far reaching consequences. If he wants vibrant civic bodies then they have to be empowered, the second alternative would be, and that will make the MLAs happier, to wind them up. There is no point having institutionsise that are crippled by design. I am sure the CM is aware that most of the MLAs from the Srinagar city route their entire Constituency Development Fund through the REW (Rural Department), because that way they do not have to adhere to Codal formalities, works are not put to tender and one can give them to favourite contractors for obvious reasons. What normally should have been the job of the SMC is entrusted to an authority that as the name suggests is meant for the rural areas. So, who is making the SMC dysfunctional? The Hon. CM has repeatedly spelled out his dreams of a Khosh-hal Kashmir where there would be accountability and answerability. I hope he will have all this investigated if he means what he says. I would also suggest that the total expenditure on account of CDF and any additionality should be made public at the end of every financial year. People have a right to know and they must know where and how the money was spent. Secondly, it must be ensured that the amount given to the legislators is equitably distributed in the wards of the Constituency in consultation with the respective Councilor or else the expenditure will remain lopsided. For smooth functioning of the democratic system, Members of the Assembly and the elected Corporators have to compliment each other and work in unison. This perhaps could be achieved by:
· The corporation in the city limits should be responsible for health services, housing, roads, education, social services and transport with limited interferences from the state government. The state governments could take up the Strategic services like Law and Order, Funds etc. Let’s give full authority to a councilor along with power to promote economic, social and environmental well being of their areas.
· Local Corporation should be in a position to raise taxes but it should be well funded by a combination of local and state grants ..The ambit of revenue collection in terms of taxes should be extended to passenger , fire services and electricity, water etc/.
· Since the proposal of well maintained roads and const of bridges are in the offing the whole development activity should be done in consultation with the elected Corporators, this will facilitate the concept of development at grass roots level. Any construction in and around the city should be done by the corporation. I still remember how the Demolition and construction part was taken back from SMC after an order was issued from the secretariat. This shouldn’t happen. Everyone is aware that the Lake authority has only gained in size and like a proverbial white elephant gulps 80% of its budget for its survival , About its track record , less said the better , I would also advise the government to put the LAWWDA, CTP and the SDA under the control of the proposed corporation to avoid dual authority and speedy implementation of decisions .
· A Councilor /Corporator should be given a minimum of 25 lacs as Ward development fund like they have done it in DMC and any additional funds should be given directly to the SMC under the control of the councilors and not MLA’s ,with strict guidelines that all codal formalities should be adhered to. This will boost the concept of governance at grass root and ensure transparency.
· A Corporator should be given a respectable honorarium and once the corporation is in a position to generate its own resources, it can be stopped or reconsidered.
· It should be made mandatory that all the CDF or additionality allowed to legislators should be utilized through the SMC alone. This will cut on the corruption and help in checking wrongdoings. For more meaningful functioning of the SMC (Like in Delhi Municipal Corporation) MLA’s and MP’s should be nominated to Corporation on rotational basis.
· At our own level well programmed schedule should be made for day to day interaction with the citizens and if they have proper knowledge about the functioning of the corporation, its rules and its activities much of the misunderstanding, harassment and delay can be reduced.
· We should encourage the concept of “Open Market Borrowing” where Municipal Corporation is in a position to carry out developmental works in Municipal limits by borrowing funds from commercial banks ceiling of which can be determined by the State Government.
· We need a Master Plan for Srinagar which does not take many years to realize. Combined and separate actions by the various implementers and promoters must unfold in a sequenced progression of moves, directed by the coordinated Master Plan. The Plan should identify key development and conservation sites, and should present a set of actions organized on priority. We cant keep on changing the master plans every time, We have to think forward, we have to be futuristic and think 20 years from now. People who walk are people who buy, eat and drink, support culture, and who socialize, keep watch over public safety, and draw more people to the streets which ultimately increase investment in the city, we have to draw a mechanism where the concept of dykes is introduced. Mr. Pampori is a veteran town planner and his age has not diminished his vigour vitality or enthusiasm for a breathing city. We need experts like him and not the sycophants we have at the helm at present.
· Apart from all this we need to sincerely and seriously think about Employment generation, Improving the quality of life, especially of the poor in a resource efficient manner, efficient and equitable delivery of services, including urban transport, strengthening and reorienting the municipal authorities to enable them to play the role of development managers, strengthening the existing institutional mechanism and, balancing the widening city size hierarchies. Let us do it NOW!
· Let us not trivialize issues but aspire for a tomorrow that is peaceful, brighter and better. We are in the process of enacting some very productive by laws with regard to building activities and solid waste management , they are indeed people friendly , and will prove to be less time consuming and productive . I think we are doing our bit. Its for the other side to reciprocate
And finally, Healthy criticism may be good for democracy but criticizing just for the sake of criticizing is against the basic essence of democracy. At the local level, peoples day to day problems have to be redressed, the 15 years of tumult have destroyed the entire infrastructure; Unemployment is a major challenge because all our avenues are shut, which is why our youth have opted for other means. We need to listen to our people and address their genuine concerns. We can’t afford blocking our vision or closing our eyes. We cannot create vibrant democratic institutions without total participation of the people. True, seventy percent elected members of our civic bodies are youth and it is the segment of our population that has a lot of enthusiasm and commitment. The question is should their commitment be wasted for petty political consideration or should they be given total support to succeed? What is the answer?
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