Chapter 12: Grassroots Democracy – Part 3: Local Government in Urban Areas (Political Science)

1. Do not ignore it: note the exact location (a landmark, street name) and take a photo if possible.
2. Inform an adult: tell a teacher or parents.
3. Report it to the urban local body: call the municipal helpline or water-supply complaint number, use the city's app or website, or inform the local ward councillor.
4. If it is a small tap left open, close it carefully.
5. Follow up after a day or two to check that it has been repaired, and complain again if needed.
6. Tell others in school about saving water.

Note the location, tell an adult, report it to the municipal water department or helpline or the ward councillor, and follow up until it is repaired.

Questions to ask a ward councillor or municipal officer:

1. How were you chosen, and how long is your term?
2. What are the main responsibilities of the municipality and of a ward councillor?
3. How does the municipality get its money, and how is it spent?
4. How is garbage collected and disposed of in our city? How can citizens help?
5. What is being done about water supply, drainage and flooding in the rainy season?
6. How can students and citizens report problems such as broken streetlights or potholes?
7. What plans are there for parks, playgrounds and libraries for children?
8. What is the biggest challenge you face in your work?

(After the visit, write a short report and send a thank-you letter.)

Ask about how they were elected, their duties, sources of funds, garbage, water and drainage, how citizens can complain, plans for children's facilities and their biggest challenges.

• Regular and clean water supply and good drainage, without water-logging in the rains.
• Regular garbage collection and clean streets, public toilets and markets.
• Good roads without potholes, footpaths and working street lights.
• Parks and playgrounds that are well maintained; trees planted along roads.
• Health services: dispensaries, mosquito control, vaccination drives.
• Easy services: quick birth and death certificates, property-tax payment and online complaints.
• Control of encroachments, stray animals and illegal construction.
• Honest, responsive councillors who listen to complaints.

Clean water and drainage, regular garbage collection, good roads and street lights, parks, health services, easy certificates and online complaints, and honest, responsive councillors.

A good urban local body:

• provides basic services (water, sanitation, garbage removal, roads, lights) regularly and fairly to all areas, including slums;
• is transparent about its budget and spending;
• is responsive: complaints are registered easily and solved quickly;
• involves citizens through ward committees and public meetings;
• plans for the future: housing, transport, green spaces and disaster preparedness;
• works for the environment: waste segregation, recycling, tree planting, saving water;
• has honest and efficient councillors and officers, and works with the State government.

It provides services regularly and fairly to all, is transparent and responsive, involves citizens, plans ahead, protects the environment, and is honest and efficient.

Similarities:

• Both are local self-governments at the grassroots, made up of elected representatives chosen by the local people every five years.
• Both provide basic local services: water, sanitation, roads, street lights, health and records of births and deaths.
• Both have seats reserved for women and for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• Both work under State laws and receive funds from the State and from local taxes.

Differences:

Both are elected local governments providing basic services with reserved seats; Panchayati Raj works in villages with three tiers and a Gram Sabha, while urban bodies (corporations, councils, nagar panchayats) work in towns and cities with ward councillors and a Mayor or Chairperson.