Cities are meant to be centres of innovation and job creation. But in India we are staring at an urban apocalypse if we continue the way we are with collapsing infrastructure and weak leadership. Rajaji, Bose, Patel, Nehru, Rajendra Prasad. What did they have in common? They all cut their teeth as city leaders before becoming political titans. Post-independence we have allowed our cities to sink into neglect. The 74th Amendment, the JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission), AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and now the Smart Cities programme have barely made a dent.
There is a widening trust deficit between citizens and the government. With urban projects characterised by poor planning, lousy execution and corruption, citizens avoid paying their fair share of taxes, particularly property tax whose compliance across Indian cities is below 50 percent. And the spectacle we see in our legislative assemblies and outside do not help build confidence either. There is no easy fix and unless the leadership leads by example and builds credibility, citizens will be unwilling to be led by the pied pipers of the State that lord over the city. There is a need for a mix of bottoms up responsibility coupled with top down authority and respect for one rule of law for all.