In this article for Deccan Herald, Vibhav Mariwala, Researcher, Artha Global, argues that a combination of fiscal and political control, in conjunction with voter apathy allows the curtailment cities’ autonomy and in turn undermines basic notions of representative democracy and proposes solutions to bolster the powers of urban local bodies in India.
Excerpts below:
“A combination of limited fiscal powers, political interference, and voter apathy, which form a vicious circle, lead to the curtailment of ULB autonomy and embolden state governments to exert control. The fiscal and political powers of ULBs should not be dependent on the passage of laws by the state government or tied to grants from the Union. This is the ideal, albeit difficult to reinstate, but one that retains the spirit of the Constitution.
India’s freedom struggle was a grassroots movement that mobilised all sections of society across religion, caste, class, and region. Politics in India has remained centralised at the Union and state levels 76 years after independence, rather than allowing citizens to directly interact with the State. An attempt at bringing government to the grassroots was made 30 years ago with the passage of the 74th Amendment, which, by recognising a third tier of government, brought self-determination and self governance to citizens. Since then, urban India may have expanded to include more than half of India’s residents, but neither ULBs have been strengthened nor have their powers been enhanced to address this surge.”
Read the full article here.
