74TH AMENDMENT AND MUNICIPALITIES IN MAHARASHTRA CONSTITUTING CIVIC BODIES ACCORDING TO NEW STATUTES

The Constitution 74th Amendment Act has earned laurels by urban experts in India. It claims to have brought about positive changes in civic governance. It has developed the urban local institutions in the country. It has improved the political set up and the functional domain of the urban local governments. The State of Maharashtra has already implemented the law. We need to assess if the process of implementation has moved in the direction of achieving the objective. It was expected to streamline the financial status of these bodies and upgrade the urban planning norms in the country. It has surely accorded constitutional status and recognition to the urban local bodies. We need to see if it has brought about administrative uniformity in the realm of urban governance in the country. We also need to ensure that the legislation is implemented in its letter and spirit. Keywords: 74th Amendment, urban governance, Municipal Corporation, Central legislation, fiscal arrangements, urban local bodies, municipal corporation, urban planning, functional domain, District planning committee, civic governance, municipal council, Nagar Panchayats