Associations Of Local Bodies Cast In New Role

By Mukti Rijal

THE Association of District Development Committees/Nepal (ADDC/N) has elected its new executive body at a convention held recently. Similarly Municipality Association of Nepal (MAN) convened in Bhairahawa recently formed new executive. The ADDC/N has changed its leadership and elected Krishna Prasad Sapkota-President of the Kavre DDC-as its new leader whereas the MAN has retained Dormani Paudel as its chief.

Important

These two events are very important for local bodies in terms of strengthening their institutional leverage and fortifying their collective unity. Moreover, they are also important in furthering the process of local self governance and decentralisation. These bodies are representatives and legitimate authorities of local government institutions. Their coming together to express the interests and demands of local government institutions is itself very important and meaningful.

Muncipalities and District Development Committees have several converging interests. Yet they have different problems and needs not very much related to each other.

Municipalities are in fact passing through a very crucial and testing phase. The Local Self-Governance Act has abolished the octroi, which formed the principal basis of their revenue. This has significantly cut the resources of the municipalities thereby placing the urban based local bodies at resource starved position. The government has committed to raise local development tax and compensate for the need of municipalities so that the pinch of octroi abolition is healed. But it is reported that the local development tax has not been raised at the level that would contribute to ensure flow of resources in the coffers of municipalities. Local bodies at the urban level are thus said to be at a very difficult stage struggling to meet their operating costs.

Newly elected president of the Municipality Association of Nepal (MAN) Dor Mani Poudel has demanded for an increased allocation of resources to municipalities so that the resource crunch they are now facing would be alleviated.

As the country is undergoing the process of urbanisation with incasing rural-urban migration, municipalities are bound to face compounding challenges. They should acquire institutional and technical capacity to grapple with the mounting problems. The problems could be properly addressed only if municipalities have capacity to plan and implement the projects suited to tackle the urban needs.

The District Development Committees are enjoined with critical tasks and responsibilities by the new Act. They are given added functions in several aspects including planning, resource mobilisation and development of the district. DDCs are considered as nodal institutions under the preview of which all sectoral line agency offices at the district are required to operate. The Local Self-Governance Act has thus placed the District Development Committees in an important pedestal. But it has been alleged that the Local Self-Governance rules adopted by the government very recently has infringed upon the spirit of the act. Moreover, the local bodies have criticised the government accusing that the central authorities have devalued and derecognised the role and sanctity of the local government institutions.

According to the DDCs the new schemes as BP with the poor, Ganeshman peace mobilisation though now defunct and women uplift and development have allegedly by passed the popularly elected local government institutions. Newly elected team of the Association of the District Development Committees also met with the Prime Minister recently and submitted a memorandum demanding that the schemes pushed by the government outside the purview of the local bodies be implemented only through the tutelage of the local government institutions. The team also demanded to amend the provisions in the rules that have allegedly contradicted the stipulations in the act.

The assertiveness of the local governments to safeguard their interests and growing ability to mount pressure upon the central government is itself an indication of strengthening of local government system and decentralisation in the country.

The Association of local bodies has an important role today to keep watch on the on-going developments and ensure that no steps threaten or derail the process of decentralisation in the country.

Poor

Besides, they should rise above the partisan interests and foster professional capacity to provide services to local bodies. Local body officials elected at different levels have not been trained in enabling them to discharge their responsibilities properly as a consequence of which local government outputs in terms of development and maintaining good governance are poor. The local authority Associations should examine their role and act in a manner that products results in strengthening decentralisation and local government system.

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