Chapter 7: Urban Administration

Cities and urban areas are much larger and more complex than villages. They have bustling markets, dense traffic, and a high concentration of people. Managing such an environment requires a large, organized system to provide essential services like water, electricity, sanitation, public health, and infrastructure. This system of governance in cities and towns is known as urban administration.

The story of Rehana and her friends breaking a streetlight raises a common question: who is responsible for public property and services in a city? The answer lies with a large organization called the Municipal Corporation (in big cities like Pune or Delhi) or a Municipal Council (in smaller towns).

This body is responsible for a wide range of tasks, including:

• Maintaining street lights.
• Collecting and disposing of garbage.
• Supplying clean drinking water.
• Running schools, hospitals, and dispensaries.
• Ensuring public health by preventing the outbreak of diseases.
• Building and maintaining parks, roads, and markets.

The Ward Councillor And Administrative Staff

A Municipal Corporation is a complex organization with two main wings: the elected representatives who make decisions and the administrative staff who implement them.

The decision-making process is structured as follows:

• Wards: A city is divided into several smaller administrative units called wards.
• Ward Councillors: The people living in each ward vote in elections to choose a representative, known as the Ward Councillor or Municipal Councillor. They are elected for a term of five years.
• Committees: For making decisions that affect the entire city, groups of councillors form committees to discuss and debate specific issues like water, garbage collection, or street lighting. The decisions made in these committees are then presented to the entire council for approval.
• Budgeting: All the Ward Councillors meet together to make a city-wide budget. During this process, each councillor tries to ensure that the specific needs and demands of their ward are included in the budget.

While the elected councillors decide what should be done, it is the job of the administrative staff to figure out how to do it.

• Commissioner and Administrative Staff: This wing is led by the Municipal Commissioner and includes various department heads and staff (engineers, clerks, sanitation workers, etc.). Unlike the councillors, these officials are appointed by the government and are not elected.
• Implementation: Their primary role is to implement the decisions made by the Councillor committees and the council. For example, if the council decides to build a new park, the administrative staff will handle the tendering, construction, and other logistical details.

How Does The Municipal Corporation Get Its Money?

Providing and maintaining extensive public services requires a significant amount of money. The Municipal Corporation collects this money primarily through taxes paid by the people.

The main sources of revenue are:

• Property Tax: This is a tax paid by people who own homes or property. The amount of tax usually depends on the size and value of the property. This is a major source of income but typically only accounts for about 25-30% of the total funds.
• Taxes on Services: People are also taxed for specific services they receive, such as water and electricity.
• Taxes on Business and Entertainment: A tax is levied on businesses like hotels and shops. An entertainment tax is also included in the price of movie tickets.
• General Taxes: Other taxes, such as those for education or other amenities, are paid by a much wider population.

A Community Protest

The story of Gangabai illustrates how citizens can actively participate in local governance and hold the Municipal Corporation accountable. When her locality was plagued with uncollected garbage, attracting pests and causing illness, the women in the community decided to act.

Their protest was successful because they followed a clear and strategic process:

1. Approaching the Right Representative: They understood that the first person to approach was their elected Ward Councillor, as he was directly responsible to them.
2. Organizing and Petitioning: The Councillor advised them to get a petition signed by all adults in the locality. This provided formal, collective evidence of the problem.
3. Involving Technical Experts: He wisely suggested taking the local sanitation engineer with them to meet the Commissioner. This ensured that a technical expert could explain the severity of the situation.
4. Direct Confrontation with a Strong Argument: When the Commissioner tried to make excuses about a shortage of trucks, Gangabai smartly pointed out the disparity in services, stating, "But you seem to have enough trucks to collect garbage from the rich localities." This left him with no logical defense.
5. Sustained Pressure: They threatened a larger protest if the issue wasn't resolved in two days. When the service did not improve immediately, they followed through with another, larger protest, which finally led to regular sanitation services.

Modern Trends: Sub-Contracting

In recent years, many municipalities have started hiring private contractors to handle tasks like garbage collection. This practice is known as sub-contracting. While it can save the government money, it often has negative consequences for the workers. These contract workers are typically paid lower wages, have temporary jobs with no security, and may lack access to safety equipment for a dangerous job like garbage collection.

Case Study: The Surat Plague Scare

The critical importance of municipal services was highlighted by the plague scare in Surat in 1994. At the time, Surat was one of India's dirtiest cities, with garbage dumped indiscriminately and collected infrequently. The outbreak of plague, a deadly disease, led to many deaths and caused over 300,000 people to flee the city. This crisis forced the Municipal Corporation to undertake a massive and complete clean-up campaign. As a result of these sustained efforts, Surat transformed into one of India's cleanest cities.