ASICS survey: Delhi slips two spots, ranks 9th
Delhi has slipped two spots and is now at the 9th place in the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS) for 2016 conducted across 21 cities in India.
According to the survey by the non-profit organisation, Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, while the national capital fared reasonably well on the parameters of planning and availability of funds at the municipal level, it lagged behind many cities in terms of transparency, accountability, and participation.
The survey, which looks at 83 governance parameters based on the city-system framework, shows that Indian cities score between 2.1 and 4.4 on 10, as against the global benchmarks of London and New York, which score 9.3 and 9.8 respectively. This was conveyed by the Janaagraha CEO, Srikant Viswanathan.
Thiruvananthapuram retained its position in the latest survey. Pune came in at second, up two ranks over that of 2015, and Kolkata retained its third
While the capital fared reasonably well on the parameters of planning and availability of funds, it lagged behind many cities in terms of transparency and accountability
position, same as 2015. The biggest gainer in 2016 was Bhubaneswar, which jumped eight ranks above the rank last year and is now at the 10th spot.
Mr Viswanathan said that the reason behind the improved ranking of Bhubaneswar is a slew of reforms such as instituting municipal cadres, ward-level planning, and instituting a single window clearance process for development projects that are in conformity with plans.
ASICS evaluates the quality of governance in Indian cities. The survey scores indicate how likely the cities will be able to deliver better quality of life to citizens over medium and long-term.
In terms of transparency, accountability, and participation, Delhi is second from the bottom, only above Jaipur. The survey factored in the absence of institutional public participation platforms such as area (or mohalla) sabhas and inadequate complaint management systems such as the lack of ombudsman.
But in urban planning, Delhi topped the chart. The national capital also fares well in the urban capacities and resources parameter, which is determined by access to revenue streams such as stamp duties, professional tax, availability of audited balance sheets, and problems with staffing.