Latest news with #ULBs
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
Focus on waste audit, segregation and management in 100-day municipal action plan
Waste audit of assessing the quantity and types of waste generated in a specific area, waste segregation and sustainable waste management practices will be the main focus of the 100-day action plan initiated by the government for improving conditions in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs, apart from the GHMC) across the State on the Telangana State Formation Day from June 2. The plan cleared by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who also holds the municipal administration and urban development department, includes identifying gaps in segregation, reducing waste reduction, recycling and better disposal practices. The audit will be to assess waste composition, identify gaps in segregation at every major source like a school, market, commercial area etc., informed top officials. It is to help in recommending strategies for waste reduction, recycling, and better disposal practices. Householders will also be encouraged to separate wet and dry waste at the source itself with separate bins. Local bodies have been directed to promote composting of organic waste to reduce landfill problem burden and also generate compost at the household/community level. Composting units will be set up in schools to process organic waste like food and garden waste, they said. Sanitary workers at all levels will be profiled to ensure they get their dues, including ESI/PF benefits, even as health camps will be held. The action plan also involves fixing iron mesh over open drains to prevent the entry of solid waste – a major issue of municipalities - reduce blockages and enhance cleanliness. Desiltation of storm water drains, removal of debris to prevent water logging is also on cards. Apart from reworking the street vending units and testing for food quality, street food festivals are to be conducted. The ULBs have been told to promote urban greenery and beautification efforts like development of at least one traffic junction and a park. The 'Bhuvan' survey for identification of unassessed and under assessed properties to bring them in tax net is being revived as part of the drive in association with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). Identifying commercial and mixed properties lacking trade licences and collecting fee, door-to-door survey of all water supply house service connections for ward wise enumeration, and so on are among the activities earmarked during this period, they added.
Hans India
21 hours ago
- General
- Hans India
100-day action plan begins: Revanth shifts focus to ULBs
The 100-day action plan initiative got an inspiring start on Tuesday with a record 36,900 citizens joining hands in a spirited rally spanning over 250 km, marking a bold step towards transformation Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has now shifted focus to streamlining administration in urban areas. Following his directions, the Municipal Administration Department has launched a 100-day action plan with emphasis on improving urban governance, public health, environmental sustainability, and citizen engagement across Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). According to officials, the key objectives of the action plan include enhancing solid waste management and sanitation systems, ensuring monsoon preparedness through critical civic infrastructure improvements, driving behavioural change and community participation through extensive IEC (information education and communication) campaigns on solid waste management, promoting urban greenery and beautification efforts for cleaner cities, conducting a comprehensive Bhuvan Survey for identification of unassessed and under-assessed properties in ULBs and bring them in tax net. The officials said that the 100-day action plan initiative got an inspiring start on Tuesday with a record 36,900 citizens joining hands in a spirited rally spanning over 250 km, marking a bold step towards transformation. The official said that products of 280 self-help groups were assembled for display-cum-sales at stalls across ULBs, which generated a revenue of Rs 3.94 lakh. From local residents to public representatives, bureaucrats, SHGs, NGOs, etc everyone marched together with a mission 'cleaner, healthier and more resilient urban areas'. The activities proposed to be taken up in the ULBs include campaign launch and IEC drive focusing on awareness through media rallies, door-to-door outreach, de-siltation of storm water drains and removal of debris to prevent water-logging, waste segregation and c omposting at household level, supported by audits and community outreach, updation of water connections and taking up Bhuvan Survey for improved municipal records and enforcement, improving water quality and ensuring mosquito control through chlorination, oil balls, and gambusia fish release, launching Vana mahotsavam, avenue plantation, and Shramadanam, development of at least 1 junction, park and inauguration, training programs for staff and newly formed ULBs to enhance capacity, kalajatha activities, competitions and waste-to-art exhibits. The official said that the plan was a strategic step toward building cleaner, healthier, and more resilient urban areas. By combining infrastructure, innovation, and involvement, it would reinforce Telangana's commitment to sustainable urban development through a people-first approach.
The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
Urban governance today demands leadership, adaptability and community-centric thinking along with technical proficiency, says official
As urban landscapes evolve, the administrative capabilities governing them should also evolve, said Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) Department Principal Secretary S. Suresh Kumar. Speaking at a workshop on 'Capacity Building for Urban Local Bodies' Officials' at the School of Planning and Architecture in Vijayawada on June 3, Tuesday, Mr. Suresh Kumar said urban governance today demands leadership, adaptability and community-centric thinking along with technical proficiency. The workshop, organised by the State government in collaboration with the Capacity Building Commission (CBC) and Government of India, brought together Municipal Commissioners of 123 ULBs and key State urban departments, including MEPMA, Public Health and Municipal Engineering, and Town and Country Planning. 'Our vision is to create a future-ready municipal workforce equipped with competencies to serve a fast-urbanising Andhra Pradesh,' Mr. Suresh Kumar said, adding that 40- 45% of the State population is now living in urban areas, which calls for a shift from traditional administrative models to agile and digitally empowered urban governance. Under the Mission Karmayogi (that aims to create a future-ready civil service) framework, the State is initiating comprehensive gap assessments to evaluate existing capacities within ULBs and identify key functional, domain and behavioral competencies required at various roles. Based on these findings, minimum annual training hours will be prescribed for municipal officials, he said. The training will not be limited to technical domains, he added. He said the State is promoting holistic development, with certificate courses offered in areas such as leadership, communication, ethics, digital literacy, and even personality development—ensuring that public servants are equipped not just with professional skills, but with the confidence and emotional intelligence needed to engage meaningfully with citizens. To encourage active participation, the government is considering a framework for non-monetary incentives, such as certificates of recognition, preference in transfers, postings, visibility in performance appraisals, linked to training milestones. Mr. Suresh Kumar announced that each ULB in the State will be supported in developing its own capacity development roadmap, aligned to the city's vision and citizen needs. This will be implemented through blended learning models, combining digital courses with classroom training, field exposure, and peer-to-peer mentoring, he added.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Govt's NAKSHA initiative to ensure modern, easily accessible land records
The Centre's Department of Land Resources (DoLR) on Sunday announced it would conduct the second phase of capacity-building under the NAKSHA (National geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban Habitations) programme across five Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in the country. With India's urban population expected to exceed 600 million by 2031, the need for modern, verifiable, and easily accessible land records has become more urgent than ever. The NAKSHA programme addresses this challenge with a bold, technology-driven approach. The first phase of the capacity-building programme to train the 160 master trainers from NAKSHA participating states/UTs was completed last month. The second phase of the training programme will be inaugurated virtually by the Department of Land Resources Secretary Manoj Joshi on Monday, the Department, which comes under the Ministry of Rural Development, said. Under this training programme, 304 ULB-level and district officers have been nominated from 157 urban local bodies (ULBs). These officers will undergo hands-on training in leveraging modern geospatial technologies for effective urban property surveys. The training will be conducted for a week, starting Tuesday, at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie; Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA), Pune; Northeast Region Centre of Excellence, Guwahati; Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA), Chandigarh; and Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Mysuru. The training aims to equip ULB officers and field staff with the technical and practical skills required to oversee high-accuracy land surveys under the NAKSHA programme. Modules cover the programme framework, GNSS and ETS-based surveying, Web-GIS application, land parcel mapping, and the legal-administrative aspects of land surveys. Being implemented by the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) in association with the Survey of India, NICSI, MPSeDC, and five Centres of Excellence, as a pilot programme, NAKSHA has been launched across 157 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in 27 states and three Union Territories.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Robust municipal governance holds the key to preventing waterlogging and health hazards during monsoon
Written by Lakshita Handa and Pragya Singh As the monsoon inches closer and orange alerts are issued in multiple states, with a few more reeling under intense bouts of non-seasonal rainfall, urban local bodies (ULBs) need to step up before the condition of our cities turns worse. Given that most policy interventions in this domain are post-facto and reactive, there is a need to craft a resilient urban governance framework . Whose responsibility is it? As per the Constitution's 12th Schedule, matters pertaining to urban planning, including town planning, fall within the domain of ULBs. Issues such as flood control and drainage maintenance are squarely within the list of functions that state governments must devolve to urban local bodies (ULBs). Poorly maintained drainage systems, coupled with lackadaisical preparatory and responsive action frameworks, aggravate existing gaps in the governance of urban spaces. Paucity of funds and limited autonomy over how to spend allocated funds also impede the ability of ULBs to discharge their functions effectively. In a 2024 compendium examining the health of ULBs in 18 States, the CAG noted a glaring 42 per cent disparity between the resources and expenditures of these agencies. It also found that only 29 per cent of the expenditure that ULBs incurred was channelled towards undertaking programmatic and development work. Most states did not devolve the urban planning function to ULBs, as mandated by the 74th amendment of the Constitution. The CAG also found that self-collected funds accounted for only 32 per cent of the ULB's total revenue, underscoring their high dependency on state governments for funds. Monsoon preparedness is not a new thing. States with geographic vulnerability to cyclones — such as Odisha and Bihar — have developed tailored schemes to address the urban governance challenges. This issue was addressed at the national level by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs through the Urban Flooding SOPs released in 2017. The SOP outlines a three-phase urban flood management strategy. (a) Pre-monsoon: Mitigation planning based on geographic characteristics of the urban area; (b) During-monsoon: Involving warning systems, citizen engagement and implementation of relief measures; and (c) Post-monsoon: Dedicated to restoring infrastructure and rehabilitating affected populations. The SOP, however, is only recommendatory in nature and has not been adopted in a uniform manner. As a result, the efforts of ULBs have been fragmented. There is also an overall lack of uptake for mechanisms that appropriately address the urban governance issues emerging during the monsoon season. What can urban local bodies do better? Each year, after heavy downpours, seemingly well-equipped cities, including those that are at the forefront of the smart city initiative, come to a complete standstill. Garbage clogs drains due to inefficient waste management practices. Often, it leads to health hazards. To address these challenges, one must identify the vulnerabilities of existing urban infrastructure and systems. Creating a decentralised model for risk mitigation and management has historically proved to be more efficient than undertaking macro-level initiatives for larger areas. Any urban action plan should be responsive to the specific needs of vulnerable groups, and information should also be adequately disseminated to such groups to raise awareness. The Odisha Government's urban flood and water management action plan for ULBs is one such example of a preventive, preparatory and response strategy. The Housing and Urban Development Department has ordered the identification of hotspots with a high propensity of waterlogging and has deployed necessary equipment for appropriate emergency responses in such areas. Another key feature of the plan includes inspecting and desilting drainage systems, while covering open drains to prevent blockages. As per the plan, authorities have been given the task to designate certain public buildings as emergency shelters with requisite food, water and sanitation facilities, particularly for vulnerable groups. Officers were appointed at the zonal level to oversee emergency responses in their respective areas, and ULBs have been required to maintain 24/7 control rooms for addressing public grievances. Focussing on health management, the plan also includes larvicide spraying and regular fogging to prevent infections caused by the breeding of mosquitoes in stagnant water. Notably, the plan emphasises the need for community involvement through the participation of local volunteers and self-help groups. For ULBs to discharge these functions effectively, there is a need for fiscal decentralisation and concomitant optimisation of revenue streams within local self-governments. Since the utilisation of funds remains a pressing issue, local bodies should formulate medium-term fiscal plans with clear budgeting and timelines to ensure that available resources are utilised towards carrying out civic work. This will enable such bodies to estimate their financing requirements and thus improve the quality of infrastructure and services. These budgeting exercises may be tracked through finance management systems and robust auditing mechanisms to monitor disbursals and promote transparency. While the Centre may provide phased support to prevent urban flooding through schematic interventions, the responsibility of employing monsoon flooding mitigation measures is largely on ULBs and states. To effectively discharge this function, suitable budgetary allocations should be made at the very outset. Key features from Odisha's monsoon preparedness and response action plan may be suitably emulated in other states. For instance, drain cleaning and desilting operations may be pre-emptively undertaken in the areas that are historically most susceptible to waterlogging. Encroachments should also be removed for the efficient movement of stormwater. During the season, necessary equipment, such as to remove fallen trees, may be kept on standby to prevent traffic disturbances. Existing SOPs and guidelines on urban flooding should be operationalised through better inter-departmental coordination within state governments and ULBs. The sponge city urban planning model, as implemented in China, could be considered at a broader level by strengthening green infrastructure like parks, wetlands and permeable pavements. Though radical, moving away from 'draining' to 'soaking' may serve as a long-term sustainable solution, which could ultimately improve the health of our waterways and ecosystems. Community engagement and consultation should lie at the heart of these action plans to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility. The writers are Senior Resident Fellows at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy
