Following the municipal elections in Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai, I've been struck by the cynicism and apathy in the media and even among politicians. They appear convinced that our cities are irredeemable and nothing can be done to rescue them. As my friend Milind Deora of the Congress tweeted: "Conclusion one can draw from BMC election results is that Mumbaikars seem content living with potholes, flooding, malaria & water tankers". This tweet could have been a reflection of frustration at his party having done badly, but it ignored how civic politics can be an excellent training ground for state and national politics.
It is worth mentioning that Devendra Fadnavis was Mayor of Nagpur before he became Chief Minister of Maharashtra. More illustrious examples can be found from our past. Jawaharlal Nehru, C.R. Das and Subhas Bose, among others, all held mayoral office or served in municipal governance. Today's politics is much more competitive and our urban situation much more challenging. Yet, even now, cities can be improved if we set our minds to it. The Trinamool Congress' experience with Kolkata is there for all to see.
A few days ago, an old Kolkata couple, settled in Melbourne for 30 years, came visiting. They remarked that the city looked much better than when they had left it, or even from their previous visit. This is not uncommon. Many visitors exclaim that Kolkata's streets are cleaner and better lit, and the city has an optimistic spring in its step. Not all problems have been solved, of course, but there is definite improvement. How was this done?
Trinamool ran the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) from 2000 to 2005, (and then again from 2010 to the present). That was the first time our party was elected to run a local government. The CPI(M)-led state government did its best to sabotage us and in 2005, the CPI(M) came back to office at KMC. It appointed a full-time lawyer as part-time Mayor, and the neglect of the city, whose people and voters had virtually given up on the Communists, continued.
In 2010, Trinamool won the KMC election and in 2011, it formed the state government under Mamata Banerjee. The past seven years have been the gradual transformation of Kolkata. It has been slow and steady work, but the change is apparent. This has been a result of structural and policy changes, as well as improved efficiency.
I am listing 10 achievements of the KMC in the past seven years. I do feel there are lessons here for other cities:
1. There has been a fervent effort at ensuring well-lit streets. Trident lights have been installed across the city and many streets that were earlier pitch dark are now no longer so. This has ensured safety as well as encouraged people to use these streets for work or personal reasons.
2. Almost all roads in the city have been covered with mastic asphalt and black tar. This has saved travel time for cars and buses and generally made the legendary "bumpy rides" of Kolkata a thing of the past.
3. Compactor stations for garbage disposal have been set up all over the city for the collection of solid waste. This has made Kolkata India's first vat-free city. When we took charge, Kolkata had 300 open vats, attracting crows, stray dogs and vultures, emitting a foul smell and being a disgusting sight for residents. Today, there is not one open vat.
A word here about the financing of the vat-free project. We approached business corporations for help and for use of their corporate social responsibility budgets. Business corporations talk a lot about loving their cities but were unwilling to write cheques for something as basic as a state-of-the-art garbage disposal system. Eventually, KMC did it on its own. I wonder if Mumbai's business houses are more generous.
4. For vector control,a Mosquito Research Laboratory has been set up at the Vector Control Department in the city. This is a first-of-its-kind laboratory in eastern India. It is a boost in our battle against malaria and dengue.
5. There has been a focus on the urban poor, who are critical to the economy of a city but are often ignored. Purified drinking water, modern sanitation facilities (including 50,000 toilets and 160 pay-and-use toilets), improved roads and electricity are now reaching 1.4 million slum dwellers. Community halls have been built in slums and housing projects for those living in shanties have been initiated.
6. Kolkata has a majestic riverfront that is being re-developed. A stretch of five km along the Hooghly (as the Ganga is called here) has been beautified. Barges, cranes and pay-loaders are now used during immersion of idols after festivals. For trimming trees, each borough has been allotted a hydraulic ladder.
7. Seventy-three pumping stations and five sewerage treatment plants across the city now help in drainage management, especially in the rainy season. This has reduced Kolkata's flooding problem.
8. Health centres have been set up in all wards. Besides basic health services are provided here, and tests conducted for platelets count, haemoglobin and blood sugar tests. Blood testing is carried out vigorously to identify and tackle dengue.
KMC took a path-breaking initiative by bringing all BPL (below poverty line) families residing within its jurisdiction under the coverage of a Universal Health Insurance Scheme. As part of the scheme, each BPL family is insured for Rs 30,000. Some 200,000 BPL families - covering 1.1 million Kolkatans - are under the insurance scheme. A health insurance scheme for sex workers has also been introduced.
9. The Nimtala, Keoratala, Garia and Kashipur crematoria have been expanded and modernised, with the installation of electric cremation chambers. This has made them ecologically friendly. India's first pollution-free wooden pyre has been set up at Nimtala Crematorium. Peace World, a state-of-the-art morgue, has been constructed.
10. Drinking water is a huge issue in our cities. Purification of water at various water treatment plants run by KMC has increased by 135 MGD (millions of gallons per day). These and other measures have resulted in supply of purified drinking water to 95 per cent of the population under KMC.
There are two other structural innovations I would like to mention. When Trinamool came to office, we realised the geographical jurisdictions of four basic service providers and utilities - KMC, the Electric Supply Corporation, Kolkata Police and the Fire Brigade - were all different. Quickly these were aligned and all four now serve exactly the same metropolitan area.
This has helped in coordination. What has also helped is the fact that the Mayor of Kolkata, Sovan Chatterjee, is a minister in the state cabinet, with portfolios related to fire brigade services and housing. This allowed him to work closely with his colleagues, the Finance Minister and the Urban Development Minister. One of the major announcements in the Bengal budget earlier this month was the reduction of stamp duty for purchase of property to two per cent. This will curb black money, encourage genuine house buyers, and help clean up Kolkata's real estate market.
All cities are unique and have their own sets of problems. Kolkata's solutions cannot be replicated in their entirety in Mumbai or Bangalore or other cities. Nevertheless we can all learn from each other. Some of what KMC has done merits attention and adoption elsewhere.
Derek O'Brien is leader, parliamentary party Trinamool Congress (RS), and Chief National spokesperson of the party.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.