India’s urban governance crisis

Urban infrastructure nationwide is under increasing strain.

- AMIT KAPOOR

CONURBATION AMIT KAPOOR

Cities, once viewed as drivers of productivity and as a promise of a better quality of life, now grapple with waterlogging, long traffic jams, and pollution, jeopardising both residents’ quality of life and overall productivity. These inherent failures point to a lack of urban planning, placing the blame on the local bodies that govern our cities. Urban local bodies (ULBs), also referred to as urban local self governments, are the primary governing institutions, directly responsible for translating policy into onground implementation, failure of which can lead to deteriorating public amenities for the urban population.

A recent audit of ULBs conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) raises a more fundamental question: Do these bodies possess the power to plan effectively in the first place?

ULBs were granted constitutional status under the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA) of 1992. Through the amendment’s 12th schedule, the Constitution devolved a total of 18 functions to these bodies, ranging from urban planning and land use regulation to the maintenance of social and infrastructure services, such as sanitation, solid waste management, slum improvement, and poverty alleviation. Even though the amendment was introduced more than 30 years ago, the performance audit by CAG in 2024, conducted across ULBs in 18 states, reveals a glaring truth: The provisions under the 74th amendment remain largely unimplemented.