A study of 11 municipal corporations in Karnataka has found that all of them lack control over 15 of the 18 municipal functions listed for urban local bodies (ULBs) under the 74th Amendment of the Constitution. Not just that, there are also substantial delays in the electoral process: elections to municipal corporations are delayed by an average of 22 months, and the formation of municipal councils and the election of mayors or presidents of municipalities are delayed by an additional two-and-a-half years, the study ‘A Critical Review of Decentralised Participatory Governance in Cities of Karnataka’, by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, has said. The study also found that presently only Mangaluru has functional ward committees in the State.
Overlaps with parastatals
On paper, the city corporations in the State have been devolved with 17 of the 18 municipal functions such as water supply, public health and sanitation, burial services, urban planning, building regulations, and urban forestry, listed in the Constitution. However, an audit of the on-ground practice revealed several overlaps in the discharge of the function between city governments and parastatals/government departments. In reality, only three out of 17 functions are fully under their control, the study found.
Principal challenges of Karnataka’s urban local governance
Source: A study by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy
Delay in elections
Of the 11 city corporations in the State, four do not have elected councils as of date. Of them, Bengaluru does not have a council for 47 months now, the longest period in the State. Mysuru, Shivamogga, and Tumakuru cities have not had elected councils for less than a year now. However, the study found that for all the 11 city corporations there has been a delay in conducting elections and for no corporation were timely elections held.
Furthermore, there is a significant lack of transparency, with citizens unable to access critical information such as city council debates, proceedings, and details about development projects, the study stated.
“Weak urban local governance has serious implications on the economic and social development ambitions of the State, as well as on environmental sustainability and climate resilience,” said Santosh Nargund, head of Participatory Governance at Janaagraha.
Timely elections, empowering SEC and ward committees
The study proposes several recommendations to address these challenges, emphasising the need for effective devolution of powers. The report calls for the timely conduct of elections to city councils every five years and for mayoral elections to be held within 15 days of the municipal election results being declared. It also recommends empowering the State Election Commission to conduct the delimitation of wards and reservation fixation to avoid delays.
According to the study, to enhance citizen engagement, it recommends the immediate notification and operationalisation of area sabhas, forming ward committees within a month of city council formation, and tying development funds to the regular functioning of these participatory bodies.
B. Basavaraju, former State Election Commissioner, Karnataka, speaking after the report was released, said the State Election Commission had to be empowered to undertake the exercise of delimitation and fixation of reservation to ensure timely elections.
Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice-Chancellor, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, pointed out the design flaws in the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, noting that many provisions are optional, leading to weak governance structures. He stressed the importance of political commitment, saying, “Our cities are growing rapidly but our governance structures are decaying. Unless we re-establish a new normal about this third tier, all the small changes are not going to alter the fundamental reality of the situation.”
