Prachi Madaan

UM4000-2

Strengthening Urban Governance & Services

This studio extensively studied Dholka Nagarpalika’s urban governance framework and service delivery ecosystem, examining institutional arrangements, operational practices, and citizen participation processes. Field assessments, stakeholder consultations, and e-governance platform reviews revealed procedural ambiguities, a fragmented grievance redressal mechanism, and inactive participatory forums. Though multifunctional, systems like E-Nagar and PFMS suffered from being ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ — offering numerous services without operational rigor. Major gaps included undefined service timelines, absent escalation protocols, and informal committee practices. The studio proposed codified grievance management, enhanced digital systems, and revived participatory structures to strengthen transparent, citizen-centric urban governance.


Report Content

Introduction - Dholka exemplifies a historically significant Class A municipality with semi-urban attributes, facing contemporary governance and service delivery challenges.

Governance Structure - Bifurcation of municipal governance into legislative and executive wings ensures policy formulation and execution.

e-Nagar Portal - The e-Nagar portal and Jan Seva Kendra serve as centralized platforms for property tax, utilities, licensing, and grievance redressal, enhancing citizen access.

Complaint Redressal System - The existing grievance mechanism lacks formal escalation protocols and monitoring systems, leading to inefficiencies in service resolution.

Legal Framework - Governance is grounded in the 74th Constitutional Amendment, the Gujarat Municipalities Act, and the Model Nagar Raj Bill—ensuring decentralization and citizen participation.

E-Governance Models - Digital governance frameworks streamline service delivery across citizen, business, employee, and government interfaces.

PFMS Portal - The PFMS portal strengthens financial governance by enabling real-time tracking, digital payments, and audit-compliant fund management.

Legislative Committees - An elaborate network of standing and special committees enables sector-specific governance across Dholka’s 9 wards and 36 elected representatives.

Citizen Civic Center and Service Workflow - Citizen services at Dholka follows a manual, counter-based process, emphasizing the need for operational streamlining and digital transition.

Vision and Proposals - Proposed reforms aim to institutionalize grievance redressal SOPs, revitalize ward committees, and introduce digital tools for inclusive and accountable urban governance.