The 74th Amendment to the Constitution ushered in a new era in urban governance. Decentralisation became the paradigm for reforming and assessing governance practices in urban centres of India. It envisioned that local problems will be solved by generating local solutions, and provided the necessary constitutional structures for this to take place in the over all framework of a representative democracy. However, most States of India have had a patchy record in implementing these reforms.

CBPS has been studying urban local self governance for some years and this film is an attempt to encapsulate the conceptual framework within which it is presently operating in Karnataka. This is an attempt to examine the disparities between what is envisioned as decentralised governance and what is actually practiced at the institutional level.

The film is located in Karwar and gives a view of the working of its City Municipal Council (CMC) from within, at a time of crisis. It examines operational governance issues such as access to information, relationships within the CMC as well as those with the State,revenue generation, and the ability to engage with the complex processes of creating and maintaining public infrastructure.

This is a study of the institution of democracy and self government in a small town from the point of view of the constraints,stresses and relationships that it must contend with.

We think it may be of relevance for urban governance around the country. While the particulars of how different States of India have implemented the provisions and spirit of the 74th Amendment may differ, the focus of the film remains on basic issues of democratic functioning at the local level. While panchayati raj institutions tend to be widely studied, urban governance is a neglected areas in disucssion of decentralisation, despite the fact that a fast growing number of India’s population is likely to be living and working in urban areas. CBPS hopes that this film will serve as a platform from which discussions on what constitutes good urban governance can be started.

Duration: 41 minutes
Language: Kannada -- with subtitles and commentary in English