ULBs made dysfunctional
Urban Local Bodies are vested with a long list of functions delegated to them by the State Government under the municipal legislation. These functions broadly relate to public health, welfare, regulatory functions, public safety, public infrastructure works and development activities. Public health includes water supply, sewerage and sanitation, eradication of communicable diseases etc.; welfare includes public facilities such as education, recreation, etc.; regulatory functions related to prescribing and enforcing building regulations, encroachments on public land etc. The Twelfth Schedule of Constitution (Article 243) provides an illustrative list of eighteen functions that may be entrusted to the municipalities. This shows that ULBs have an important role in the maintenance and development of urban areas like cities and towns.
Under the provisions of Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, a Committee headed by the Chief Secretary was constituted five years ago with the mandate of passing over 18 services to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). And thus improve municipal administration of urban areas. This means empowering the ULBs for better functionality. Working at snail’s pace the Committee could, in five long years, transfer only 8 functions, leaving the remaining 10 key services untouched.
How can we say that the ULBs are functioning efficiently when the services are not transferred and cannot be made functional? The ten services left out are key services with direct connection to public affairs and to overall development of the areas under ULBs. When a Committee headed by the senior most bureaucrats in the State is not able to fulfil its agenda for five long years how can we expect other committees that are headed by officers of lower ranks than the Chief Secretary to deliver the goods within the time frame? Therefore, if we want that the municipal system should change and become responsive, the system has to be made functional and that is possible only when the functions are delegated under the provisions of the Act.
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