VIJAYAWADA: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) felt that the formation of the Ward Secretariat system in the State is against the spirit of the Constitution.
In its performance audit report on the efficacy of implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, which was tabled in the AP Legislative Assembly on Monday, the CAG mentioned that the formation of Ward Secretariats at the ward level without the formation of Ward Committees diluted the spirit of the Constitution as envisaged for local self-governance.
Observing that Ward Committees were not formed and instead, the State government introduced the system of Ward Secretariats in July 2019 with the intention of decentralised governance, the CAG explained that the Ward Secretariats were formed without the participation of elected representatives at the ward level.
It recommended the State government to form Ward Committees and integrate Ward Secretariats with Ward Committees and Area Sabhas to realise self-governance. The audit body observed that the State government had been overriding the powers over Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
‘Andhra govt told to delegate adequate powers to ULBs’
With regard to the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (74th CAA), which came into effect in June 1993, provided a Constitutional status to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the CAG observed that the State government had been overriding the powers over Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), which was against the spirit of the Constitutional Amendment.
Out of 18 functions, the State government devolved 13 functions fully and three functions partially to municipal corporations and devolved only seven functions fully and five functions partially to municipalities/nagar panchayats.
Out of devolved functions, all ULBs had the full functional role in five functions only.
Stating that the objective of the 74th CAA was to entrust the delivery of major civic functions to ULBs, the CAG found that the function of urban planning, including town planning, regulation of land use and urban poverty alleviation, continued to be delivered by parastatals.
“The powers to assess, recruit and devise the service conditions of the staff in ULBs is retained completely by the State government. Hence, there is no autonomy for ULBs in the matter of human resources. The ULBs lacked adequate manpower as 20% of sanctioned posts were vacant in test-checked ULBs, affecting efficient service delivery. We recommend that the Andhra Pradesh government delegate adequate powers to ULBs to assess and recruit required staff,” the report said.