Now, BMC wakes up

To transform Mumbai into a global-class city, the BMC realises that accountability is the need of the hour. It plans to put its schemes and babus under the microscope

Citizens, here’s some good news. Accountability is finally knocking on the BMC’s doors. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation plans to become the first urban local body in India to put itself on a performance matrix.

It claims that if it succeeds in achieving the goal, Mumbai will be transformed truly into a world-class city.

If anything, the accountability plan smells good on paper. But it could work too. Often criticised for under-utilisation and inadequate implementation of budgetary funds allocated for various development schemes, the BMC has decided to switch over to a results-oriented monitoring and evaluation system.

To help it meet its plans, it has sought the help of a Delhi-based research and training organisation, Society for Development Studies.  Additional municipal commissioner Manu Kumar Shrivastav said the agency was a leader in the area of knowledge infrastructure and specialised in developing a results-oriented framework in governance.
It has the experience of working for similar projects with the World Bank, UN Habitat, Commonwealth Secretariat and Union government, among others.

A proposal for entering into a contract with the firm for studying all its departments and devising a framework that could help judge the performance of executives, and impact of various schemes undertaken by BMC, was tabled before a standing committee on Wednesday.

Some committee members felt this was just another gimmick, but most believed the third-party performance evaluation was needed to improve the efficacy of BMC’s functioning. 

The proposal states the firm is allowed to study BMC’s departments and schemes and develop a performance matrix. The main objectives will be to evaluate the implementation of various civic schemes and assess their impact on ground.

It will identify roadblocks in implementation and design a plan to set it right. 

Shrivastav said the firm will set baseline benchmarks for departmental projects that will help us flush out flaws at the ideation and implementation levels.

The study will include formulating output indicators, devising a specialised training module for civic employees, and developing an integrated outcome-oriented performance matrix for each department.

While the standing committee deferred the decision on the proposal, the civic administration hopes it will get the sanction for the proposal before the end of the financial year.