BEST LOCAL BODIES AWARDS- A NEVER BEFORE EVENT IN URBAN GOVERNANCE SCENARIO

This week can be termed as Urban Development Department Week. First, there was an international event in MUNICIPALIKA and now a never before award ceremony for the Best Corporations/CMCs/TMCsin the State. This extremely professional event was a very well organized program, and the best ones got their prize. When I conceived this event, my objective was to promote a healthy competition between the local bodies. This has gone well in the procedure. It was a very transparent process, thrust on objective selection of the performers. The whole process was so pressure-delinked, that I didn’t know the names of the winners till they were announced. It’s the case with anyone else. In fact, Mr Krishna Palemar, Minister for Environment who seated beside me enquired, if Mangalore got the prize.

The Officers have worked to my satisfaction and the event was a memorable one. The event was organized in Central College, Jnana Jyothi Auditorium where convocations for the Graduates are held every year. While addressing the gathering of all the representatives from local bodies, I told this was an event of the same magnitude of convocation. While the students are offered medals with a view to instill competition, the local bodies too are offered the awards for their performance.

Facts like how effectively the local bodies are functioning, how effectively they are utilizing and generating the resources are considered while short listing the local bodies for the awards.

Just before the awards were announced, I went back to the mike again and made a tongue in cheek remark, if we need to institute an innovative award from next year for the worst local bodies. Obviously every one stood up to say NO! But I feel, if such an award is instituted, there will surely be a real competition at least not to get to so low!  

Finally, Mysore gets the No 1 Corporation award, while Udupi is No.1 CMC and Kundapur the No 1 TMC.

There was an atmosphere of expectation, jubiliation and an urge to participate more creatively in the future. Yes, I know, each and every local body has to go a long way before getting to the top of the happiness index of the citizen in their respective towns and cities. I also know that for getting to that position, we need to have a mindset changeover of the city administration. 

Todays event is a small beginning but a sure one which I feel has the potential to ignite the urge to perform.

S.Sureshkumar