ROLES OF DIFFERENT AUTHORITIES IN URBAN MANAGEMENT-DELHI

STRUCTURE

Multiple agencies: Mind bogglingly, Delhi has over a 100 civic agencies tasked with overseeing municipal services such as land usage, roads, transport, water, electricity, sewage and flood control etc. These agencies include the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB), Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Development Authority, Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Public Works Department (PWD) etc. What makes things even more complicated is the fact that these agencies report to different ministries and departments. Dual Jurisdiction: Unlike other metropolitan cities in the country, Delhi has the dubious distinction of being the seat of both the Union Government and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). In practice this makes for a pretty complicated administrative set-up with some parts of the city under the administration of Central Government agencies and others under the Delhi government. So while agencies such as the MCD, DDA, Delhi Police and CPWD are answerable and accountable to the Central Government, the PWD, DJB and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) report to the Delhi Government. This makes for confusing and parallel structures of governance where its unclear where the jurisdiction of one government starts and the other ends. This duality has for long been exploited by various agencies to pass the buck. Overlapping responsibilities: Its often said that too many cooks spoil the broth and it couldnt be truer than in Delhi. From water, public works, sanitation, land, you can be pretty sure theres more than one civic agency involved. Heres a quick snapshot of the extent to which this is true. No answerability or accountability: What do you get when you have multiple agencies responsible for the same services and reporting to different departments? No answerability and no accountability. The current CWG fiasco is a prime example where each agency blames the other. So we have PWD faulting the quality of CPWD construction work and the NDMC complaining the MCD isnt doing what it should to keep the city free of dengue and malaria. As agencies play pass the parcel, Delhis residents are left wondering who to hold responsible. Framework for urban management in Delhi has a multiplicity of central and state agencies viz. Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Committee (NDMC) to manage entire services, education, medical and health services, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for development of land and building including development in Delhi; Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC); Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) for advice and guidance for maintaining the aesthetic quality of urban and environmental design in Delhi, Delhi Transport Corporation for managing Bus transportation in Delhi, Delhi Vidyut Board and Delhi Jal Board to manage Power and Water supply in Delhi Delhi Tourism and Development Corporation (DTTDC} work is of promotion of domestic and international tourists infrastructure, coordination with agencies involved in tourism.