No benchmark fixed for delivery of essential services
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 25: Throwing provisions of Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act to the winds, a committee headed by Chief Secretary has failed to ensure transfer of 10 key functions to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) despite the lapse of five years. Moreover, no benchmark has been fixed for delivery of essential services to the people and measure the performance of the Municipal Corporations, Committees and Councils.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that under the provisions of J&K Municipal Corporation Act and J&K Municipal Act, 2000, the Government notified 18 functions and powers in April 2013 for transfer to the Urban Local Bodies across the State. In order to oversee the process of transfer of functions, functionaries and funds, a committee headed by the Chief Secretary was also constituted in April 2013.
However, only eight functions could be transferred to the Urban Local Bodies till date mainly because of the failure of the Chief Secretary-headed committee to complete the assigned task within stipulated time-frame, sources said, adding because of the slackness on the part of committee 10 key functions have yet not been transferred to the Urban Local Bodies.
The functions which are yet to be transferred to the ULBs include urban planning, planning for economic and social development, roads and bridges, water supply for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes, urban poverty alleviation, protection of environment and promotion of ecological aspects, provision of urban amenities and facilities such as parks, gardens and playgrounds, promotion of cultural, educational and aesthetic aspects etc.
The functions which are being performed by the ULBs are regulation of land-use and construction of buildings, public health and sanitation, maintenance of burial & cremation grounds and cattle ponds, public amenities like street lighting, parking lots and vital statistics including registration of births and deaths.
“It is unfortunate that those who remained at the helm of affairs in the Housing and Urban Development Department, which has administrative control over all the Urban Local Bodies, have maintained silence over inordinate delay in transfer of 10 key functions to the ULBs”, sources said, adding “it seems that Government doesn’t want to strengthen these bodies”.
What to talk of transfer of all the functions and powers to the ULBs, the Government has even failed to fix benchmarks to assess the performance of these bodies in ensuring timely essential services to the common masses.
As per the recommendation of the 13th Finance Commission, the Housing and Urban Development Department was required to put in place Service Level Benchmarks for the Urban Local Bodies. The Government was supposed to notify or cause the ULBs to notify by end of every fiscal year the Service Level Benchmarks to be achieved by the end of succeeding fiscal year.
“However, the Service Level Benchmarks have not been notified by the Government till date as a result of which there is no yardstick to measure the quantum and quality of services to be provided to the public by the Urban Local Bodies”, sources informed.
Pointing towards another important issue, which has not received the attention of the Government till date, sources said, “though the population is increasing continuously yet the plan allocation to the Urban Local Bodies has not increased during the past several years”, adding “due to limited resources the Urban Local Bodies are finding it difficult to meet the increasing expenditure on the services being provided to the people especially when its own resources are also very limited”.
They further disclosed that State Government prepared and adopted J&K Municipal Accounting Manual in 2011 for maintenance of accounts of ULBs on a double entry system and preparation of annual financial statements in three sets—receipt and payment account and income and expenditure statement of the transactions in a financial year and a balance sheet reflecting the status of assets and liabilities at the end of that particular year.
However, the Manual has not been implemented by ULBs till date and records are still being maintained on single entry system.
Disclosing that Jammu Municipal Corporation had prepared its annual financial statements on proforma basis up to the year 2013-14, sources said, “the primary records are still being maintained by the Corporation on a single entry system”.
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