What do you say about a municipal corporation that hopes to spend Rs 500 crore to transform itself into a smart city but cannot conceive of a worthwhile project to spend Rs 5 crore? This was the amount earmarked for the Corporation of the City of Panaji as a one-time golden jubilee grant. Panaji has a host of problems and needs a slew of improvements to bring it on level with leading cities abroad. A grant of Rs 5 crore might not seem large in light of the issues at hand, but to leave it unutilised is a sad comment on the quality of people elected to the council.
Fortunately for Panaji, it is not alone. Mormugao has not spent the Rs 3 crore allotted and neither has Canacona which was granted Rs 2 crore. Pernem, Valpoi, Sanguem and Sankhali were allotted Rs 1 crore each, but failed to utilise the sum. Margao used a part of the Rs 3 crore for a pay parking project and placed the rest in a bank deposit with the hope of using it to construct a multi-storey vehicle parking facility. Curchorem, Ponda, Cuncolim and Bicholim spend only a small portion of the funds allotted. Mapusa and Quepem are the only municipalities that fully utilised the allotted money and need to be patted on the back for the same.
What inferences can one draw from this state of affairs at the municipal level? Firstly, most municipalities did not move quickly enough to make use of the funds. Secondly, councillors are incapable of putting their heads together for the good of the city. Thirdly, they lack the experience to formulate meaningful plans that can be implemented. Lastly, they just don't care.
The government tax regime is structured in a way to bring maxim funds to the state exchequer. Municipalities and panchayats are left with meger resources and have to depend on the state government for hand outs. This dependence is made worse by the inability of municipal councils to plug tax leakages at the city level. Hence, one would have expected municipal councils to grab the golden jubilee funds with both hands. This did not happen and citizens living in urban areas are the biggest losers.
With elections due on October 25, municipal councils needs to explain to the electorate why funds allotted without strings attached were not used. Those seeking to be re-elected will have to answer some tough questions. More importantly, citizens must ask their councillors why they, as citizens, were short changed. Some of the rich cities, Margao included, make huge contributions to the state kitty and therefore need to be adequately compensated, but if councillor do not think beyond drains and footpaths cities will not get developed.
Recently, Margao and Vasco lost the race for smart city status to Panaji, a development that caused councillors to agitate in the losing cities. Instead, if they had focused on new trends in other cities, advances in e-governance and imbibed a spirit of service and order, they might have pipped Panaji. The money is available, all they have to do is think, plan and implement.
