Srinagar, Mar 3: In March 2005, the elected corporators of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation assumed office amid much pomp-and-show that the SMC would be empowered within six months. The empowerment would make the civic body a powerful institution having role in a variety of fields like Health, Education, Roads and Buildings, apart from the routine sanitation, and construction permission works.  But till now, the corporation awaits empowerment while the five year tenure will conclude this weekend.

THE CHRONOLOGY
 The Municipal Corporation Act of 2000 had become “partially” operational in 2003 with the appointment of Administrative Officer as the Commissioner, SMC.
 Two years later, the Municipal elections were held for all the 68 Wards of the City. The SMC House was led by the Mayor, having tenure of one year, while the corporation was entitled empowerment in fields like Health, Education, Roads and Buildings. The empowerment, as per the Act, observers say, was to be done within six months.

SELF GOVERNMENT DREAMS
 The devolution of power was expected to authorize the SMC to function as an institution of Local Self Government.
 The SMC would have a role in key jobs like the establishment and maintenance of roads, monitoring of public libraries, stadiums, Akharas and the organization and management of cottage industries, handicraft centers and sales emporiums.
 Like municipal corporations elsewhere in India, the SMC would even monitor school education.
 Besides, it would look after establishment and maintenance of hospitals, dispensaries, and maternity and child welfare centers in the City.
 Till now, only the UEED has been brought under the corporation’s umbrella. Besides, the street lighting was handed over to the SMC.

POWER POLITICS
 The then PDD government couldn’t  empower the SMC even though at the time of swearing in ceremony of the corporators on March 5 2005, the then Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed had promised a lot.
 Apart from timely empowerment, Mufti had said the Corporation would be given a share out of taxes to make it more of an economically independent intuition.
 But while the Mufti’s regime couldn’t help, his party colleague and then Dy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig customarily kept admitting the failure, during the district board meets.
 The PDP successor, Congress couldn’t be of much help either and the then Mayor would often accuse the government of ignoring the City.
 Finally since January 5, 2009, when Omar Abdullah took over as the CM. the ball had been in ruling National Conference’s court. Interestingly, more was expected from the NC for reasons more than one.
 Prior to the Assembly elections, the party in its Vision Document had assured that if brought to power it would strengthen the municipal corporations as the institution of local self-government.
 The election results brought more of optimism on this front. The NC won all the eight City constituency seats giving every plan of theirs an 8/8 probability for Srinagar developments.
 But then the NC leadership has its own take to plead failure in in-time empowerment.
 “Devolution of a power is a gradual process,” the MoS Housing and Urban Development department and MLA Amira Kadal constituency, Nasir Sogami has been saying.
 As for the NC corporators having a majority at the SMC house, they have changed their tone since the party came to power in the state.
 Similar is the case of the Mayor, Salman Ali Sagar, who belongs to the same party.
 Unlike the past, the Salman has changed his stand. He seems to be more of a party loyalist than the Mayor of Srinagar City doing all what could benefit the vote bank politics.
 Since last year, he tried to get public facilities like Community Halls and Wuzu Khanas commissioned so that spotlight remained on developments done by the corporation than its being virtually toothless. Sagar junior pleads the delay in devolution of power in the garb of developments.
 “Government is committed to development and devolution is being done accordingly,” he has been saying.

BOTTOMLINE
 During the early days of the elected corporation, while condemning the delay in empowerment, a corporator had said the House meets were nothing more than doing a Jaspal Bhatti unless the devolution of power was completed making many break into laughter. Till now the devolution is awaited!

Iss Hamam mein…
● The then PDD government couldn’t  empower the SMC even though at the time of swearing in ceremony of the corporators on March 5 2005, the then Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed had promised a lot.
● The PDP successor, Congress couldn’t be of much help either and the then Mayor would often accuse the government of ignoring the City.
● The Sagar junior seems to be more of a party loyalist than the Mayor of Srinagar City doing all what could benefit the vote bank politics by defending the delay in empowerment in the garb of developments.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 3 Mar 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 3 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 IST