Day-to-day issues affecting quality of life such as availability of safe drinking water, broken roads, poor sewerage systems, women’s safety, solid waste management problems, and continuing air pollution seem to have weighed heavily on the voters’ mind in the run-up to the elections. With direct benefits becoming the common denominator across competitors vying for power, the potential to resolve these chronic civic and environmental issues appears to have been the deciding differentiator among available options to voters.

In the end, citizens have asserted their desire for a well-governed city with good quality of life. This verdict could well set the trend for urban voters across the country to increasingly vote on matters of governance and liveability in the coming days. Overhauling urban governance City dwellers are intrinsically aspirational. Many would have chosen to migrate to metros from villages or smaller towns from near and far, in search of better opportunities and a better quality of life. They are, therefore, conscious of not risking either.

These expectations of a better life and opportunities of growth cut across all classes and categories of citizens. Political parties have to realise that without addressing key civic issues and the challenges in strengthening the underlying systems, electoral returns from direct benefit transfers (DBTs) alone will have a limited shelf life. Urban governance in India is marred by systemic issues such as lack of devolution of powers and funds, poor capacities of local governments, multiplicity of planning and implementation agencies, and a disengaged citizenry. The national capital, Delhi, is no exception. Delhi is the most urbanised state in the country with nearly 98% of its citizens living in urban areas. Unplanned development, crumbling infrastructure, and an unhealthy environment are but a result of the underlying weak city-systems. The situation is further complicated by Delhi’s peculiar situation due to its lack of complete statehood, resulting in the acrimony over sharing of powers by different levels of governments.

Fixing Delhi’s governance is synonymous to addressing the deep-rooted issues afflicting Delhi’s city-systems. The focus of the state government, which will be formed in the coming days, and that of the central government, which has a significant say in the governance of Delhi, must not be limited to only providing better civic infrastructure and services. Instead, both governments, which now belong to the same party, must also focus on strengthening the means to deliver them in a sustained manner.

The underlying governance framework needs to be overhauled to make it compatible with the 21st century needs of the people. Empowering local governance and presenting a practical, streamlined model of metropolitan governance for Delhi needs to be prioritised over quick fixes and band-aid solutions to the entrenched civic woes of the people.

To begin with, this would entail reforms in three broad areas: i) effective decentralisation and empowered local institutions, ii) integrated and holistic planning, and iii) a place-based approach to development. For effective decentralised governance, it is important to clearly sort out the issues of distribution of responsibilities and funds between the central, state, and local governments.

Delhi is perhaps the only metro city in the country with a mayoral term of only 1 year. The city has multiple civic agencies that are not accountable to the elected mayor and the council of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The MCD has hardly any role in important matters such as planning and land use, water supply, and local transportation. It will be crucial to introduce the necessary reforms to provide a 5-year term to the mayor, and empower the elected council and mayor with supervisory control over different parastatals and civic agencies implementing projects in the city.

For effective planning, there is a need to envision an active role for the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), which was reconstituted last year. The NCRPB ought to be strengthened to evolve as an effective regional planning body. It must be integrated with evolving metropolitan governance systems, both at design and operational levels. Neighbourhoods in the city need to be planned and developed as complete entities in themselves with all functional elements of urban design.

This is possible by adopting a place-based approach for the development of world-class neighbourhoods and optimising necessities such as civic amenities, transport, safety, and recreation. Partnering with people The Prime Minister, while acknowledging ‘Jan Shakti’ (people’s power) in his message after the announcement of the election results, has committed to improving the quality of life for people and making Delhi an important part of the government’s goal of building a Viksit Bharat.

In doing so, it is important to realise the full scope of the Jan Bhagidari (people’s participation) policy of the union government. Like most cities across India, Delhi has no formal participatory platforms for citizen engagement. City dwellers, being naturally entrepreneurial, not only believe in collaborative problem solving but also often offer skills that complement the capabilities of the government. Instead of being a mere provider, there’s a need for the government to partner with the people in planning and implementing developmental projects.

Moreover, availability of mere technical solutions to public problems — such as solid waste, traffic, air pollution, water conservation, and public health challenges including water-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria — will not automatically result in resolution of these challenges. There’s a need for the governments to actively seek the partnership of communities in bringing a substantial behavioural change in citizens to align their choices and actions with the efforts of the government.

Besides, co-opting citizens as partners rather than considering them as mere beneficiaries is also more likely to insulate the political parties from voter disconnect and resulting dissatisfaction. The government must operationalise participatory platforms such as ‘ward committees’ and ‘area sabhas’ (akin to gram sabhas in rural areas) to facilitate elected leaders, officials from the MCD and other civic agencies, and citizens to come together regularly to address civic and climate-related issues, and plan for their neighbourhoods in a holistic manner.

Delhi, like many other cities in the country, has a vibrant civil society and network of Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs). The 20- million-plus citizens of the national capital deserve a more effective decentralised and participatory city-system — one that can transform Delhi into a world-class city. Solving for Delhi will provide a blueprint to solve for the 5,000 cities of India, which have a key role to play in building a Viksit Bharat.

Santosh Nargund is the head, Participatory Governance, Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy.