This magazine would never blow its “ah-didn’t we say this already” trumpet, but one can’t help but wonder as to how things are already panning out exactly the way it envisaged they would. We refer to the uneasy relationship that is developing between the new government and the city corporation. Amidst the ongoing political transition comes the news that the corporation council’s monthly meeting has been delayed for the third month in a row now. While officials have sought to attribute the delay to the election process and a new batch of appointments in the various departments leading to routine administration work, murmurs are already afoot that the political developments are indeed playing a major role. Elected councilors themselves are reported to be expressing their displeasure at the state of affairs as several of the grievances remain unaddressed.

At the time of writing, the mayor and deputy mayor are yet to meet the new chief minister. That the mayor was on medical leave for three weeks and that the deputy mayor is abroad have been the reasons attributed to this. However, that there seems to be more to it than meets the eye is evident by the fact that they have publicly stated that they have not been called to meet the chief minister or to attend any official meetings with the new government. Nor were any top officials present when the chief minister, who handles the MAWS (Municipal Administration and Water Supply) portfolio held a meeting recently. On the other hand, the newly elected government seems to be of the view that in the absence of any constitutional mandate, it is not required to invite the mayor or councilors for official events, including inspections.

It is an undeniable fact that the government and the corporation are dependent on each other to ensure that the wheels of civic administration run smoothly. While the government sits at the top end of the chain, according the administrative and financial sanction for projects, it is the councilor who kicks off the process by initiating a project under his ward. There are too many civic issues in the city which have been recounted time and again in these pages that need to be urgently addressed. The roads are in a perpetual state of repair, stray dog menace continues unabated, the storm water drain work seems to have been going on for eternity, poor solid waste management etc.

As mentioned in the last issue, the problem facing the government is that while they have won 14 out of 16 assembly seats in the city, they do not have a single representative on the corporation. It must also be remembered that several of the newly elected legislators are new to the corridors of power and may not be familiar with the running of the administration, the processes and protocols to be followed. In a country like ours, the roles of an MLA and a councilor are often viewed interchangeably, though in reality the former is a lawmaker and the latter a micro-manager. In such a scenario, it is imperative that the MLAs actively work towards getting the cooperation of the councilors, which is essential for the last-mile delivery of civic services, for while as lawmakers the MLAs can bring to light issues concerning their constituency, it is very likely that their performance at least for the near future would end up being judged on the basis of things like non-functioning streetlights or broken footpaths, something which is not their primary domain.

It befuddles one’s thinking as to what could be possibly achieved by way of this game of one-upmanship at present from both sides, however technically correct or acceptable the reasons may be. While it is easy to understand as to why things have unfolded the way they have thus far, it must be kept in mind that civic administration is too important an activity to be caught in the cross-hairs of a political slug-fest. The state of affairs as it stands definitely does not seem healthy and calls for an immediate course correction on both sides to ensure that the public do not ultimately get the raw end of the deal. It is imperative that the actions of the two bodies are coordinated in order to ensure that the day-to-day administration of the city goes on smoothly and for that, it is hoped that at a smooth working relationship is established for the remainder of this council’s tenure (which is anyway hardly a year) at the earliest.