Good Urban Governance inIndian Megacities – a Challenge for

Institutions and Citizens?

Dr. Jörg Himmelreich

Content

1. Introduction2. Urban Population Growth in India3. Good Urban Governance Concepts4. Bangalore Organisations5. Decentralisation and participation6. Acts of Good Urban Governance7. Conclusion

Introductory remarks

• 21st century is the century of urbanisation (2009)• Main Urban Population Growth (by 2.9bn inhabitants until 2050)

will take place in Asia led by India (352m) and China (186m)• Increasing use of energy and other natural resources with growing

CO² emissions is not a necessary consequence of urban population growth

• Decisive is consumers’ behaviour (Western experience)• This depends upon “Good Urban Governance” (improvement of

life quality and adequate infrastructure) to manage the change of cities by urbanisation

India is globally one of the less urbanised regions

• Urbanisation in China 49.6% and in India 31.16%• Urban Population Growth will be mainly in cities with less than

100,000 inhabitants• Indian Metropolitan Areas Ranking by Population (Census 2011):

• New Delhi (21.7m)• Mumbai (19.695m)• Kolkata (15.294m)• Chennai (8.7m)• Bangalore (8.4m) (3rd largest city)

• Bangalore still fastest growing city behind Delhi (Census 2011)

Source: UN ESA, World Urbanisation Prospects, The 2009 Revision, New York 2010; p. 5

Good Urban Governance (1)

What is governance?

1. According to the classical, structural definition governance is management

of public affairs by government constituents, that are legislation, executive

and judiciary

2. According to World Bank, to UNDP and literature :…in a process that follows

the principles of participation, rule of

law, transparent, responsiveness, consensus orientation, efficiency and

effectiveness, accountability, and strategic vision. This is “good” governance.

3. Central to the concept of “Good Urban Governance” is the notion that a

multitude of actors are involved in the city governance process (principle of

networking)

Good Urban Governance (2)

Good Urban Governance (3)

It is very important to understand the role that political institutions play in

many respects to dominate the delivery of public goods and services (like traffic

infrastructure, ICT management systems etc.)!

Good Urban Governance (4)

The change of cities by urbanisation follows many individual culturally, politically and economically different trajectories: every city is different.

On a more abstract level two principals indicated often a successful management of urbanisation in the past in the West:

• Decentralisation of authorities to the local community

• Participation by the local community

Bangalore Organisations (1)74th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA), 1992 by the Federal Government followed these two principles. It sought to strengthen:

a. The autonomy of municipal/urban local bodiesb. The promotion of decentralization of power, finances and

political structurec. The formation of appropriate structures

The Act proposed establishment of ward committees and required:• Specification by law of the powers and responsibilities entrusted to

municipalities• Restrictions on the power of State governments to do away with democratically elected municipal governments

The Indian States responded differently and often hesitantly

Bangalore Organisations (2)• Greater Bangalore City Corporation (BBMP) - Urban Local Body; municipal governance since 1862; mayor for 1year; 198 „corporates“, • Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) – parastatal• Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA)• Bangalore City Police• Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) -bus• Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRC) – rail• Regional Transport Office (RTO) – vehicle taxes, licences• Bangalore Electricity Supply Company – power distribution

Decentralisation

• Greater Bangalore City Corporation is now the decisive “urban local body” (ULB), responsible to the citizens in the city and the surrounding area, but as to traffic infrastructure has no planning authority. This is with the Bangalore Development Authority a parastatal agency in spite of 74th CAA!

• As to Bangalore the City Corporation has not (yet) received the legal authorities to plan and administer their city

• Existence of many other parastatal organisations causes an overlap of activities, a lack of coordination and difficulties to act on a common information basis

Participation by Local Communities

• Good Urban Governance looks for a “New Deal” between City Government and local community groups and NGO.

• Bangalore‘s vibrant civil society has contributed remarkably to the shape of the city‘s policies.

• Infrastructure improvement and ICT – Projects in particular will probably have a much better chance to succeed if they are accepted by the local communities and citizens instead if they are rigidly enforced by the state only.

Acts of Good Urban Governance (1)

1. Bangalore Forward2. Bangalore Agenda Task Force3. Public Affairs Centre4. Janagraha

Acts of Good Urban Governance (2)

• The Ministry of Urban Development launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Dec. 3rd, 2005.

• Mission is: to improve efficiency in urban infrastructure and service delivery mechanisms, through community participation and ensuring accountability of urban local bodies and parastatal agencies towards citizens.

• Bangalore is beneficiary with 1.7bn USD• Nonetheless as to planning and delivering infrastructure and services

top down approaches are still rather preferred than bottom up modes through community participation with corresponding short comings

ConclusionsA reform of the urban government institutions for Indian Cities is urgently

needed. This reform has to imply:1. a real autonomy of the city government with own financial sources

and planning authorities. 2. sharing power by states with the third tier of governments (cities) to

meet the objectives of the 74th CAA and the JNNURM.3. Mayor (as an Executive Mayor or Mayor in Council) has to be the

political, elected and executive leader of a city for a 4-5 term, accountable and responsible to the people (Nehru, Das)..

4. Convergence of City and parastatal agencies.

Conclusion (2)

As Bangalore is one of the largest and still growing cities in India with a promising future, people in the country and abroad are looking how the Greater Bangalore City Corporation and the citizens of Bangalore manage to turn the challenges of urbanisation into an increase of living standards and prosperity of its people.

© Dr. Himmelreich, Jörg, 9 December 2011School of Humanities and Social Sciences,

Jacobs University, Campus Ring 1

28759 Bremen, Germany,

Tel.:+49 421 200 3301

j.himmelreich@jacobs-university.de