All India Mayors Conference in Varanasi
Recently, the Prime Minister has inaugurated the All India Mayors Conference in Varanasi.
In this conference, 120 mayors of different states are participating. The theme of this conference is ‘New Urban India’.
The Mayor/Chairman of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) is the political and executive head of the municipal body.
Currently, mayors are elected by councilors, who are directly elected by urban voters.
Issues related to the office of the mayor
- Short tenure: In the Annual Survey of Indian Urban-Systems (ASICS)-2017, it was found that only 20 percent of cities have five-year tenure available for mayors.
- The method or tenure of the election of mayors has not been fixed in the 74th Constitutional Amendment.
Lack of executive authority:
- It is to be noted that the principal executive power is with the municipal commissioner appointed by the government, so the mayor holds only a nominal office.
- The limited executive powers available to mayors are seen as one of the major causes of inefficiency and mismanagement in urban governance.
Measures to be taken:
- Direct mandates from urban residents can increase the legitimacy and accountability of the office of mayor.
- Fixed tenures for mayors provide more continuity, as opposed to state-appointed bureaucrats, as bureaucrats can be transferred accidentally.
Source – PIB
