Citizens must be consulted on NURM projects

Citizens must be consulted on NURM projects

The Hindu

Government yet to draw up public-private partnership model

# Mandatory reforms Introduction of independent regulators for urban services
# Rationalisation of stamp duty
# Repeal of the Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act
# Reform of rent control laws
# Improving the efficiency of water supply on the basis of water audit

BANGALORE: For better or worse, the National Urban Renewal Mission (NURM) will change the way we build and manage our water supply systems, urban transport, roads and drains and the way slums are developed. But without watchful inputs from citizens, an incentive-based reforms agenda can be risky. Its failure could represent not only a lack of commitment to fulfil the needs of citizens but also a failure of governance, warns Vinay Baindur, coordinator, CIVIC, Bangalore.

Community participation

The NURM, launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week, involves a reforms-driven, fast track planned development of identified cities with the focus on efficiency in urban infrastructure and services delivery, and more importantly, community participation and accountability of urban local bodies. The funding pattern will be 35/15/50 from the Centre, the States and urban local bodies and financial institutions respectively for mega cities (40 lakh plus population), 50/20/30 for cities with less than 40 lakh population and 80/10/10 for other cities. The assistance from the Centre and the State Governments will be the seed money to leverage additional resources

The national mission draws inspiration from the now defunct Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) initiative. Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh has announced that the State Government is already armed with a Rs. 10,779-crore infrastructure and governance plan. But the Government has so far not clearly stated how it proposes to respond to the NURM condition of drawing up a public-private partnership model, having killed the very model that inspired the NURM.

The NURM has set conditions for State Governments so that a NURM-compliant city would undertake all mandatory reforms within a prescribed timeframe. These include drawing up public-private partnership models, management and financing of urban infrastructure for the urban local bodies, introduction of independent regulators for urban services, rationalisation of stamp duty, repeal of the Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act, reform of the Rent Control Act and implementation of an efficient water supply system on the basis of water audit.

Partnership model

These conditions echo the BATF on the public-private partnership model. Former BATF member V. Ravichandar sees the NURM as a response to the need of cities to "plan what it wants to be." NURM is a tool that will enable the community to have a say in how the local authority collects, manages resources and revenues and delivers services, he says.

The Comprehensive Development Strategy Plan (CDSP) in the case of Bangalore aims at integrating land use with services, urban transport and environment management. As Mr Baindur points out, the CDSP process has already begun, but there has been no public information or consultation on the issue. NURM guidelines insist that these have to be prepared after conducting a wide consultation process, preceded by the identification of a planned urban perspective framework for a period of 20 to 25 years.

Conditions not met

The metro rail project and the BMP's plan to construct a flyover at Ramakrishna Ashram Circle on Bull temple Road despite widespread protests from residents hardly meet NURM conditions. The Metro is to be supported by the Centre under the NURM, while in the case of a project like the flyover the BMP and the State Government have to execute a tripartite agreement with the Union Government and present a detailed project report. However, in both the cases there has been no articulation of intent on the part of the Government to engage in public consultation and disclosure.