Chandigarh, March 7, 2015: The Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have failed to catch up with the pace at which Haryana has urbanised, especially during the last ten years. For want of resources, lack of quality management and unclear policy mandate from the powers that be, haphazard growth came to pock-mark most parts of urban Haryana even as it cried for infrastructure during the last ten years.
Disclosing this here today, the Finance Minister, Capt Abhimanyu, said that Part 2 of the White Paper on PSUs and ULBs had brought out this stark reality. Admittedly, most were funds-starved but even such bodies as had funds at their disposal, did not invest them in creating targeted infrastructure as expected of these engines of urban growth. “It is true that the ULBs were woefully short of funds. But at the same time these were short of ideas too. While they did not have the freedom to decide on the rates for the levies they are allowed to charge, the then state government sat smug over matters and failed to egg them on, through the district administration, to create much needed local infrastructure”, the Finance Minister said.
According to the White Paper, The revenue deficit of all ULBs, put together, grew about 38 times from Rs 46.4 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 1,791 crore in 2013-14. Their resources fell far short of their operational liabilities but then there was a palpable lack of quality in civic management too. Expenditure was not targeted to create civic infrastructure. Besides other things, the course correction would involve greater devolution of funds to the ULBs, Capt Abhimanyu said.
Haryana has been urbanising rapidly since 1966. While a decadal growth of 9.8 per cent between 2001 and 2011 has been recorded in population in the rural areas, the urban areas have recorded a growth rate of 44.6 per cent in this time-frame. The urban population registered an absolute increase of 27,26,799, from 61,15,304 in 2001 to 88,42,103 in 2011. Hence, the share of Haryana's urban population has increased from 29 per cent in 2001 to 34.88 per cent in 2011, the Finance Minister said.
Nearly half of the state falls within the National Capital Region (NCR) around Delhi. This belt experienced higher rate of urbanisation. Eleven districts of Haryana fall in the NCR and two more districts, namely Jind and Karnal, are yet to be notified. This necessitates ULBs to gear up to provide basic civic infrastructure interms of sewerage, drinking water, drainage, roads, street lights, solid waste disposal facilities, hospitals, fire stations, etc.
ULBs are important institutions of self-governance providing municipal services and civic amenities. Haryana has 78 ULBs consistingof nine municipal corporations, 19 municipal councils and 50 municipal committees. A municipal committee caters to an urban population not exceeding 50,000; municipal council for population exceeding 50,000 but not exceeding 5 lakh; and municipal corporation for population exceeding 5 lakh.
Having diagnosed the problems that plague the ULBs with the help of the White Paper, we are committed to doing the needful to ensure that these important democratic institutions play the role mandated to them”, Capt Abhimanyu added. / (SK Vyas, Jalandhar)