URBAN LOCAL BODIES

Overview of Urban Local Bodies:

          Municipal governance in India has existed since 1687 with the formation of Madras Municipal Corporation, and then Calcutta and Bombay Municipal Corporation in 1726. In 1882 the viceroy of India Lord Ripon (Who is known as the Father of Local Self Government) passed a resolution of local self-government which laid the democratic forms of municipal governance in India.

          Urban Local Bodies (ULB's) in Andhra Pradesh are traditionally mandated to undertake certain basic functions like Water supply, Sewerage & Septage, Roads, Drains, Street Lighting, Parks and Burial Grounds. The Twelfth Schedule of Constitution (Article 243 W) provides an illustrative list of Eighteen functions, that may be entrusted to the municipalities.

          After the advent of constitution 74th Amendment Act (CAA), 1992, the functional domain of urban local bodies has been expanded to include development programs along with traditional civic functions.  Due to Globalization, Liberalization and more critically, the urban explosion has increased the volume of services to be delivered by the urban local bodies.

CATEGORIES OF ULB’S :

          In Andhra pradesh ULS’s are divided into Six grades based on Annual Income and Population.

Grade	Annual Income
Selection Grade	Rs. 8 crores and above
Special Grade	Rs. 6 crores to Rs. 8 crores
First Grade	Rs. 4 crores to Rs. 6 crores
Second Grade	Rs. 2 crores to Rs. 4 crores
Third Grade	Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 2 crores
Nagar Panchayats	Below Rs. 1 crore

Functions of Urban Local Bodies:

          As per the provisions of the Municipality Acts & Corporation Acts, the Urban Local Bodies are entrusted broadly with the following functions.

1) Public health, sanitation, conservancy and solid waste management.

2) Provision of water supply, drainage and sewerage.

3) Construction and maintenance of roads, drains, culverts and bridges.

4) Provision of street lighting.

5) Urban poverty alleviation programs.

6) Slum improvement and up gradation.

7) Provision of public parks and play grounds.

8) Construction and maintenance of public markets, slaughter houses.

9) Urban planning including town planning.

10) Regulation of land use and construction of buildings.

11) Maintenance of secondary and elementary schools.

12) Urban development programs.

13) Vital Statistics including Registration of Births and Deaths.

14) Maintenance of burial grounds.

Sections in Urban Local Bodies:

S.NO	Section	Broad functions
1.	Administration	To look after general administration, including school administration and council meetings.
2.	Revenue	To assess and collect various taxes and non-taxes and collection of rents from municipal properties.
3.	Accounts	To maintain accounts, prepare annual accounts, budget, and attend to audit of accounts.
4.	Public Health and Sanitation	To look after sanitation, public health and solid waste management including medical and maternity services.
5.	Engineering	To look after water supply and sewerage, public works like roads, drains, buildings, parks and play grounds, street lighting
6.	Town Planning	To regulate town planning activities including land uses, layouts, building constructions and encroachments.
7.	Urban Poverty Alleviation (UPA)	To look after urban poverty alleviation programs.

Credits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_governance_in_India

                cdma.ap.gov.in