25 Siliguri Draft Report

Ministry of Urban
Development,
Government of India
Capacity Building for
Urban Development

Rapid Baseline Assessment
Siliguri

Draft Report

October 2013
CRISIL Risk and Infrastructure Solutions Limited
Ministry of Urban Development

[i]]
Rapid Baseline Assessment Siliguri Draft Report

Certification
Report Prepared by CRISIL Infrastructure Advisory Team
Report Reviewed by Appeeji Parasher
Report Validated by Request for validation has been sent to nodal
officer
1

1
Once the certificate is received from the ULB, the same shall be submitted to CBUD Cell

[ii] Rapid Baseline Assessment Siliguri Draft Report

Table of Contents
Certification ............................................................................................................................................ i
1. Project Background ...................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 CBUD Project .......................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Rapid Baseline Assessment ................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Brief Approach and Methodology ............................................................................................ 4
1.4 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 4
2. Snapshot ........................................................................................................................................ 6
2.1 General Information ................................................................................................................ 6
2.2 Municipal Governance ............................................................................................................ 6
2.3 Municipal Financial Management ........................................................................................... 8
2.4 Urban Service Delivery ........................................................................................................... 9
2.5 Urban Planning ..................................................................................................................... 12
2.6 Key issues ............................................................................................................................. 13
2.6.1 Municipal Governance ............................................................................................. 13
2.6.2 Financial Management ............................................................................................ 13
2.6.3 Service Delivery ....................................................................................................... 13
2.6.4 Urban Planning ........................................................................................................ 14
2.7 Key Areas of Capacity Building ............................................................................................. 15
2.7.1 Municipal Governance ............................................................................................. 15
2.7.2 Financial Management ............................................................................................ 15
2.7.3 Service Delivery ....................................................................................................... 15
2.7.4 Urban Planning ........................................................................................................ 16
3. Brief City Profile .......................................................................................................................... 17
3.1 Population ............................................................................................................................. 17
4. Municipal Governance ................................................................................................................ 19
4.1 Existing Status....................................................................................................................... 19
4.1.1 Assessment of Human Resource ............................................................................ 22
4.1.2 Training & Capacity Building .................................................................................... 24
4.1.3 Status of e-governance ............................................................................................ 24
5. Municipal Financial Management .............................................................................................. 25
5.1 Existing Status Financial Management .............................................................................. 25
5.2 Existing Status - Municipal Finances .................................................................................... 25
6. Urban Service Delivery ............................................................................................................... 31
6.1 Implementation ...................................................................................................................... 31

[iii]]

6.2 Services to urban poor .......................................................................................................... 31
6.3 Water Supply ......................................................................................................................... 33
6.4 Sewerage and Sanitation ...................................................................................................... 37
6.5 Solid Waste Management ..................................................................................................... 39
6.6 Roads, Storm Water Drains and Street lights ....................................................................... 41
6.7 Service Level Benchmarks (SLB) ......................................................................................... 44
6.8 Grievance Redressal and Citizen Charter ............................................................................ 44
7. Urban Planning ........................................................................................................................... 45
7.1 Urban Planning functions ...................................................................................................... 45
7.2 Status of Land use and CDP................................................................................................. 45
7.3 Status of key reform Implementation .................................................................................... 45
7.4 Recommendations for improved Urban Planning ................................................................. 46
8. Annexure List of References .................................................................................................. 47
9. Annexure List of Consultations.............................................................................................. 48
10. Annexure Questionnaire ......................................................................................................... 50


[iv] Rapid Baseline Assessment Siliguri Draft Report

List of Tables
Table 1: Population growth trends ........................................................................................................ 17
Table 2: Status of Siliguri Municipal Corporation .................................................................................. 18
Table 3: Borough-wise ward distribution details ................................................................................... 20
Table 4: Functionaries under 12
th
Schedule Constitution and responsible authority............................ 22
Table 5: Detailed Sanctioned cadre in SMC ......................................................................................... 22
Table 6: Variation in Planned and Actual Budget ................................................................................. 25
Table 7: Financial Status ....................................................................................................................... 26
Table 8: Planned vs Actual for last 5 Years .......................................................................................... 26
Table 9: Detailed revenue and expenditure SMC ................................................................................. 26
Table 10: Collection of Own Funds for last 5 Years ............................................................................. 28
Table 11: Details of the Government Grants received by SMC ............................................................ 28
Table 12: Assessment Details............................................................................................................... 29
Table 13: Collection Details (Rs in Lakhs) ............................................................................................ 29
Table 14: Municipal Financial Indicators ............................................................................................... 30
Table 15: Details of civic service implementation authority .................................................................. 31
Table 16: Total expenses under UPE for the year 2012-13 ................................................................. 32
Table 17: Status of 3 pro-poor reforms till 2013, IHSDP Phase-I ......................................................... 32
Table 18: Details of reservoir ................................................................................................................ 34
Table 19: Zone-wise details of the reservoirs ....................................................................................... 34
Table 20: Status of SMC water supply network .................................................................................... 34
Table 21: Details of number of water connections in SMC ................................................................... 35
Table 22: Total collection from water supply by SMC ........................................................................... 35
Table 23: Details of operating expenses on water supply under SMC ................................................. 36
Table 24: Service level indicators: Water Supply.................................................................................. 36
Table 25: Total Cess-pool collection for 2011-12 ................................................................................. 37
Table 26: Service level indicators: Sewerage ....................................................................................... 38
Table 27: Infrastructure for waste collection ......................................................................................... 39
Table 28: Details of conservancy charges ............................................................................................ 39
Table 29: Revenue from Waste Collection Fee .................................................................................... 40
Table 30: Total expenses by Conservancy Department ....................................................................... 40
Table 31: Service level indicators - SWM ............................................................................................. 41
Table 32: Details of type of road in SMC .............................................................................................. 42

[v]]

Table 33: Status of Street lighting in SMC ............................................................................................ 42
Table 34: Total expenditure on street lighting in 2012-13 ..................................................................... 43
Table 35: Service level indicators: road & street light ........................................................................... 43
Table 36: Detailed Land-use break-up .................................................................................................. 45
Table 37: List of contacted person in SMC ........................................................................................... 48

[vi] Rapid Baseline Assessment Siliguri Draft Report

List of Figures
Figure 1: Rapid Baseline Study Process mapping .............................................................................. 4
Figure 2: SMC Ward Map ..................................................................................................................... 19
Figure 3: Political Wing of SMC ............................................................................................................ 20
Figure 4: Administrative wing of SMC ................................................................................................... 21

[1]]

List of Abbreviations
Acronym Definition
BPL Below Poverty Line
BSUP Basic Services to Urban Poor
CAA Constitutional Amendment Act
CDP City Development Plan
CMU Change Management Unit
CWR Clear Water Reservoir
DCB Demand Collection Balance
DDP Draft Development Plan
DPC District Planning Committee
DPR Detail Project Report
EWS Economically Weaker Section
GIS Geographical Information System
GLR Ground Level Reservoir
IDP Interim Development Plan
IHSDP Integrated Housing Development Project
JNNURM Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
KUSP Kolkata Urban Services for Poor
LIG Low Income group
LPCD Liters per Capita per Day
MIC Mayor-In Council
MIS Management Information System
MLD Million Liters per Day
MSW Municipal Solid Waste Management
NRW Non-Revenue Water
OHR Over Head Reservoir
PPP Public Private Partnership
PWD Public Works Department
SFC State Finance Commission
SJDA Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority

[2] Rapid Baseline Assessment Siliguri Draft Report

SMC Siliguri Municipal Corporation
SWM Solid Waste Management
TCP Town and Country Planning
UFW Unaccounted for Water
ULB Urban Local Body

[3]]

1. Project Background
With growing population in urban areas in India, tremendous pressure has been put on key urban
services and service delivery mechanism at city/town level. In order to overcome these issues at ULB
level, Government of India (GoI) had launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
(JNNURM) to augment the capacity building of ULBs by implementing the projects and reforms across
the selected ULBs in India.
While there has been good progress in implementation of reforms at policy level at state and central
level. However, Institutional strengthening and capacity buildings initiatives are yet to be initiated in most
of the ULBs. Further, the service levels are not up to the mark in most of the ULBs. The need of the hour
is to focus on capacity building aspects at ULB level to improve the service delivery mechanism and
enhance the revenue improvement measures to make the ULBs self-sustainable.
1.1 CBUD Project
In order to give an impetus to reforms under JNNURM, the MoUD and Ministry of Housing and Urban
Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA) had launched a new project called Capacity Building of Urban
Development (CBUD). The project had been launched with support from The World Bank. The project
has following three components:
1. Capacity Building for Strengthened Urban Management. This component is aligned with the
infrastructure and governance sub-mission of JNNURM and will thus support technical
assistance across the several urban management topics.
2. Capacities Building for Effective Urban Poverty Monitoring and Alleviation. These capacity
building initiatives are aligned with the basic services to the urban poor sub-mission. They reflect
the need for building information systems, sharing experiences, and designing strategies on
urban poverty alleviation.
3. Implementation Support. This component will support a national Project Management Unit
(PMU) for providing overall technical and managerial support during the implementation of the
Programme. The PMU will have a critical role in promoting and support the project.
Under the CBUD project, MoUD had initiated various studies such as preparation of CDPs, CSPs,
training needs assessment, transport related studies, reduction of non-revenue water related studies,
city and zonal support studies etc. In particular, the study on Rapid Baseline Assessment precedes all
these studies.
1.2 Rapid Baseline Assessment
In order to provide a baseline for project implementation & broadly identify the capacity gaps and training
needs, MoUD initiated the whole process with a Rapid Assessment of the status of the ULBs selected
for participation in the CBUD project.
The Rapid Baseline Assessment has majorly two-fold objectives,
Firstly to set up a baseline of the 30 cities. This baseline would be helpful for MoUD to monitor
the progress in the city under the CBUD programme in mid and long term and
Secondly to identify the capacity gaps in implementing the reforms and service delivery
benchmarks and identifying areas of intervention and the support to be provided to utilities.



The study targeted to cut across the four major interrelated aspects mentioned below:
1. Municipal Financial Management;
2. Municipal Governance;
3. Urban Planning and Land use; and
4. Urban Service Delivery.
To undertake this study, MoUD appointed CRISIL Risk & Infrastructure Solution Limited (CRIS) as
consultant to carry out rapid assessment for 30 selected ULBs across the county. As part of the study,
CRIS followed the scope of work as defined in the ToR.
1.3 Brief Approach and Methodology
The progress of implementation of the reforms and poverty alleviation programmes were taken into
consideration while studying each of the ULBs to gain an understanding on the quality and efficiency of
Urban Management mechanisms and to further propose interventions to enhance the ULBs
performance.
The four Functional Areas are interrelated and have significant impact on each other. Each of these
Functional Areas was dealt individually before they were integrated to realize the overall Goal of the
Project. A Part-to-Whole approach was adopted to ensure clarity of tasks and activities proposed to
strengthen each of the Functional Areas. The flowchart below illustrates the overall framework adopted
to achieve the goal of the assignment at hand.
Figure 1: Rapid Baseline Study Process mapping

1.4 Methodology
The following in brief step by step actions were taken to prepare the Rapid Baseline Report at City Level
Kick off meeting with MoUD
Desk Research
Questionnaire formulation (qualitative and quantitative)
Interventions leading to
enhanced capacity of
urban management
systems
Assessment of
Municipal
Financial
System
Assessment of
Urban planning
and land use

Assessment of
Urban services
delivery system
Assessment of
Municipal
Governance
system


[5]]

ULBs/ parastatals visit and detailed discussion and data collection
Report preparation, expert review
Submission of the draft report to MoUD and City


2. Snapshot
2.1 General Information
Particular Details
Name of the City Siliguri
Key Economic Drivers
Siliguri is the gateway for north eastern cities and countries of Nepal,
Bhutan and Bangladesh in terms of connectivity. The city also has
trade and commerce in the area of Tea, Timber, Tourism and
Transport
Total Population (2011) 5,09,709
Total Slum Population 154 slum pockets; population 1,68,217 (33% of total population)
Decadal Growth Rate (2001-11) 8%
Area of ULB 41.9 sq. km
Density 12165 persons per sq. km
Literacy Rate 77%
Sex Ratio 951
2.2 Municipal Governance
General Information
Particular Details
Formation year of the ULB Municipality 1949; Municipal Corporation 1994
No. of wards 47 no.s
Whether local body is in place Yes. The city has Mayor-in-Council System
The city has following no. of citizen
facilitation centers
-
The ULB has implemented the following acts SMC is providing the information to citizens and under
RTI act. The citizen charter is under implementation.
The ULB discloses following information to
public
Annual budgets; Status on the key services; Ongoing
projects; Development plans
Sanctioned Staff Data not available
Actual Staff 622
Staff on contract Data not available
The recruitment of staff is governed by NA
The recruitment rules are of the following
year
NA
The state has created Municipal Cadre Yes
The ULB has a training curriculum and has
budgets for training
No


[7]]

Transfer of functions (as part of 74
th
CAA)
12th Schedule Functions
Status of Transfer and the name of
the agency/s responsible
Urban Planning including town planning
Preparation and implementation of
development plans SMC, SJDA.
Regulation of land-use and construction of buildings SMC
Planning for economic and social development SMC
Roads and bridges PWD
Water supply- domestic, industrial and commercial PWD, SMC
Public health, sanitation, conservancy and SWM SMC
Fire services NA
Urban forestry, protection of environment and ecology NA
Safeguarding the interests of weaker sections society including
the handicapped and mentally retarded
SMC
Slum improvement and upgradation SMC
Urban poverty alleviation SMC
Provision of urban amenities and facilities- parks, gardens and
playgrounds
PWD
Promotion of cultural, educational, and aesthetic aspects SMC
Burials and burial grounds, cremations, cremation grounds and
electric crematoriums
NA
Cattle pounds, prevention of cruelty to animals NA
Vital statistics including registration of births and deaths SMC
Public amenities including street lighting, parking lots, bus stops
and public conveniences
SMC
Regulation of slaughter houses and tanneries NA
Status of E-Governance Services - The E-governance project in SMC is monitored by CMU- KUSP,
funded by DIFD.
Module Remarks
Property tax; Water supply and other utilities;
Personnel management system; Procurement and
monitoring of projects; E-procurement; Project/ward
works; Building Plan approval; Health Programmes
Yet to initiate
Accounting Tally system initiated
Birth and death registration Partially Implemented; Computerized unique
registration code is generated for each case.
Citizens grievance monitoring Partially Implemented
Citizens grievance cell is formed, but monitoring
and follow-up needs to be strengthen.
Others
Particular Brief Details
Status of
Citizen Charter
SMC has deployed online process and time-bound delivery for Birth & Death
registration, property tax and water supply services.


Particular Brief Details
Public
Disclosure
SMC is disclosing the information related to the infrastructure on its website from time
to time. The balance sheets, budget copies have been uploaded on the website.
Grievance
Redressal
System
SMC has deployed online complaint module. Citizens grievance cell is also formed,
but monitoring and follow-up needs to be strengthen.
2.3 Municipal Financial Management
Existing Status Municipal Financial Management
Particular Details
The accounting system in the ULB is Double Entry System
Balance Sheets are prepared uptill the year FY 2011-12 and yet to be audited
Valuation of assets completed uptill the year FY- 2008-09 and for FY 2009-10 in progress
The asset register is manage on a (real-time/
intermittent) basis
Intermittent basis
Double entry accounting system is practiced on
(real-time/ intermittent) basis
Real time
The ULB has adopted the municipal codes of
(NMAM/ State accounting codes/ others if any)
NMAM
Account codes are linked with budget codes Yes
Ledgers and other statements are maintained
on (real-time/ intermittent) basis
Real time basis.
Budget planning is done based on (past years
data/ based on actual requirements)
It is a mix of both. For specific service delivery
departments, actual requirements would be
estimated. For non-technical departments, it would
be based on past years budget
Budget is prepared through a consultative
process with various stakeholders
Municipal Accounts committee supervises the
budget.
Following trainings have been provided to the
staff for the new accounting system
NA
The ULB follows (post/ pre audit) Post Audit.
The accounts have been audited till NA
The ULB has a separate budgeting system for Yes. Separate budget are prepared for various
services- water, sewerage and SWM.
For urban poor, the ULB has Allocated - 25% of the total budget
The ULB has exposure to borrowings from Loans from various banks and financial
institutions
The officials have undergone following trainings Double Entry Accounting System under KUSP project
Existing Status - Municipal Finance
Particular Details
The ULBs Municipal Credit Rating has been -
Over the past five years the Revenue Account has been in
(surplus/ deficit)
Deficit in the preceding year; surplus in the
past years

[9]]

Particular Details
The key source of revenue receipts for the ULB Market rent and user fees and charges
The key area of municipal expenditure is O&M
The ULB levies property tax based on (ARV/ Unit Area
method)
Unit Area method
The following taxes were last revised in the year Property tax 2012-13
Water Charge - NA
Sewerage Charge -NA
SWM Charge NA
User charges are determined on the basis of Adhoc basis
Municipal Financial Indicators
Indicators Value
Own revenues as a proportion of total revenue receipts (Rs 18.72 cr/ Rs 40.19 cr) 47%
Per capita own revenues (Rs 18.72 cr/ 5.09 lakhs) Rs 367
Non-tax revenues as a proportion of own revenues (Rs 12.4 cr/ Rs 18.72 cr) 66%
Per capita property tax demand (Rs 4.2 cr/ 5.09 lakhs) Rs 84
Coverage for property tax net 80% approx.
Property tax collection performance (Rs 3.1 cr/ Rs 4.2 cr) 73%
Water charges collection performance NA
Operating ratio (revenue expenditure/ revenue receipts)
(Rs 43 cr/ Rs 40 cr) FY 2012-13
1.07
Per capita O&M expenditure (Rs 1765 lakhs/ 5.09 lakhs) Rs 346
Salary as percentage of Revenue Income (Rs 22.9 cr/ Rs 40 cr) 57%
Salary as percentage of Revenue Expenditure (Rs 22.9 cr/ Rs 43 cr) 53%
Staff per 1000 population (622/ 5.09 lakhs x 1000) 1.2
Debt Servicing Coverage Ratio (<=1.50) - (O.S+D.S / D.S) NA
Debt Service Ratio (Max 25%) - (Debt/ Revenue income) NA
2.4 Urban Service Delivery
Functions Roles & Responsibilities
Key Infrastructure Services Planning and design Construction/
Implementation
O&M
Water Supply SMC SMC SMC
Sewerage SMC SMC SMC
Storm Water Drains SMC SMC SMC
Solid Waste Management SMC SMC SMC
Urban Transport NBTC NBTC NBTC
Street Lighting SMC SMC SMC
Preparation of Master Plan/
Development Plan

Housing for Urban Poor SMC SMC SMC



Other Information
Sr.
No.
Particular Details
1A
The ULB has prepared infrastructure
master plan for the following
The ULB has not prepared any infrastructure master
plan
1B The ULB has prepared CSP in the year CSP has not been prepared by ULB
2A
ULB has prepared Detailed Project
Report (DPR) for following
areas/sectors
The DPR is prepared only for Housing for Urban
poor
2B
The ULB is looking forward to support
the preparation of the DPR for the
following projects
ULB needs training on the implementation of projects
as the DPRs have been prepared for most of the
sectors.
3
Following are the safeguard (social and
environmental) measures the ULB takes
while planning for developmental
projects
Normally environmental aspects are not considered
while planning projects
4A
The ULB is aware of the following and
has put in place the following
Service Level Benchmarks (SLB) Have been
formulated
Information System Improvement Plan (ISIP) - Not
yet prepared
Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) - Not yet
prepared
4B
The ULB has taken initiative for
following to increase the performance of
SLB indicators
No major intervention to improve the projects. Water
supply_____________________?????????
5
The ULB has an internal legal
department to deal with contractual
issues (yes/no)
Yes, the corporation has a legal cell, which looks into
various legal matters and provides advice to respective
departments.
6
The service delivery departments have
attended following trainings/workshops
Piecemeal trainings in the form of workshop
7
The ULB is planning or has experience
of undertaking following on the PPP

No project is implemented under PPP

Service Delivery Indicators
S.
No
Indicator Value
MoUD
Benchmark
s
Water Supply

1
Coverage of water supply connections (as per
discussion)
80% approx 100%
2
Per capita supply of water
(48 MLD supply / 5.09 lakh population)
95 lpcd 135 LPCD
3 Extent of metering of water connections 0% 100%
4 Extent of Non-Revenue Water NA 20%

[11]]

S.
No
Indicator Value
MoUD
Benchmark
s
5 Continuity of water supply 2 Hour 24 hours
6 Efficiency in redressal of customer complaints NA 80%
7 Quality of water supplied

100%
8
Cost recovery in water supply services (Rs 225
lakhs/ Rs 434 lakhs)
52% 100%
9
Efficiency in collection of water supply related
charges
NA 90%
Sewerage and Sanitation

1
Coverage of toilets (87000 septic tanks, as per 2008
survey)
At present the city
doesnt have any
sewerage network in
place. Each building has
its own septic tank. As
per the survey
conducted in 2008 for
GIS mapping of the city,
there are total 87,000
septic tanks. The waste
from the septic tanks is
collected by the Safai
Karmacharis within 48
hrs of intimation by the
users. SMC has also
introduced Tatkal service
for the cleaning of septic
tanks within 24 hrs of
intimation.
100%
2 Coverage of waste water network services 100%
3 Collection efficiency of waste water network 100%
4 Adequacy of sewerage treatment capacity 100%
5 Quality of sewerage treatment 100%
6 Extent of reuse and recycling of treated sewerage 20%
7
Extent of cost recovery in sewerage management
Rs. 700 per 3000 liters per trip
Rs. 300 per 3000 liters per trip for low-cost latrine,
inside corporation area
Rs. 200 per 3000 liters per trip for low-cost latrines
outside corporation area and community toilets.
100%
8 Efficiency in redressal of customer complaints 80%
9 Efficiency in collection of sewerage related charges 90%
Solid Waste Management

1
Household-level coverage of SWM services
(D-t-D coverage in properties 103,000; Total no. of
properties 206,784)
~90% 100%
2
Efficiency of collection of municipal solid waste
(Waste collected 250 TPD; Generated 280 TPD)
~90% 100%
3 Extent of segregation of municipal solid waste 0% 100%
4 Extent of municipal solid waste recovered Data not available 80%
5 Extent of scientific disposal of municipal solid waste 100% 100%
6
Extent of cost recovery in SWM services
(Rs 0.5 crores collected against an expenditure of
about Rs 17 cr)
~3% 100%
7 Efficiency in customer complaint redressal Data not available 80%
8
Efficiency in collection of SWM related user related
charges
Data not available 90%


S.
No
Indicator Value
MoUD
Benchmark
s
Storm Water Drainage

1
Coverage of storm water drainage network
(Total length of drains 87 km; Road length 825
km)
11% 100%
2 Incidence of water logging/flooding Data not available Zero
Roads and Transportation

1
Road length per capita
(Total road length 825 km; Population 5,09,709)
1.62 m -
2
Proportion of surfaced roads
(Total road length 825 km; Surfaced and semi-
surfaced road length 790 km)
96% -
3 O&M cost per kilometre of road (Rs. per km) Data not available -

Projects envisaged in CDP and Sanctioned Projects - CDP of Siliguri Not Prepared
Urban Poor
Particular Details
Does the city has a separate department of
addressing the issues and implementing
programmes for Urban Poor
Yes, the corporation has urban poverty cell
The CBOs/ NGOs are active in participative
planning for urban poor
Yes
Mapping of slums It is in progress
Status of Slum Free Action Plan under RAY
In process
Broad initiatives for urban poverty alleviation
SMC is conducting many vocational training
programs for creation of self-employment options.
SMC is also up-grading the existing infrastructure
in the slums
The following projects are taken in collaboration
with NGOs/ CBOs
So far no projects have been taken up with NGOs/
CBOs
2.5 Urban Planning
Particular Details
Agency responsible for preparing
development plan
SJDA & SMC
Is the master plan of the city prepared, if
yes till what planning period
No
Is DPC or MPC in place Yes. District Planning Committee is in place
The following studies have been carried
out by the utility
City Development Plan
Draft Development plan (year 2008)
Slum Free Action Plan under RAY (year 2012)

Any form of support envisage by ULB to Yes. The support is required in preparation DPR for SWM

[13]]

Particular Details
prepare or monitor such studies discussed
above
The status of key urban planning related
reforms
Streamlining building plan approval process
Statewide building rules and bye-laws are in place
Rain water harvesting No initiative has been taken
Bye-laws for reuse of recycled waste water - No
initiative has been taken
Earmarking of the land for EWS and LIG- Separate
land allocation for poor is not in place
2.6 Key issues
2.6.1 Municipal Governance
SMC has not conducted any training & Capacity Building program for the officials except basic
training on computer operations for General Administration and Finance & Accounts
Departments.
Most of the officials lack knowledge and hence interest in performing the assigned roles.
The officials are also unaware of the government schemes and missions launched for the
development of the urban areas.
Lack of technically qualified staff across all the departments
No robust system to update the database of employees.
2.6.2 Financial Management
Operating ratio beyond 1 indicating revenue deficit.
Salary expenditure as % age of revenue income is comparatively on higher side.
Decent coverage as per data; however per capita demand is low when compared to other cities
SMC is lagging in assessment of new properties and revaluation of the existing properties.
Mapping of properties yet to be taken for newly assessed properties
Properties under litigation and unpaid tax under government holding one of the major concerns
for SMC.
No dedicated vigilance team to track and monitor the unauthorized constructions
2.6.3 Service Delivery
Water supply
SMC staff lacks experience to cater the service.
SMC has not implemented water metering system.
The user complaints are routed through the councilor of the wards to SMC. The complaints are
addressed in piecemeal. As a result, holistic approach for the development and maintenance of
the existing supply network is lacking, increasing the cost of operation and maintenance and
reducing the efficiency of the system.
Due to lack of awareness for water conservation among the users, wastage of water is high.
Implementation of Rain Water Harvesting system has not been initiated. Majority of the
population is dependent on ground water.


Sewerage
There is no sewerage network in the city.
Since, the city doesnt have proper sewerage systems; contamination of ground water is one of
the biggest threats.
There is no treatment plant to treat the sewerage before disposal.
The collected waste is manually disposed in the open dumping ground.
There is no accountability of the quality of the service provided, as exact number of house-holds
served is not available.
The coordination between the corporation and borough is very poor.
Existing staffs lacks knowledge and use of latest and efficient technologies for sewerage
treatment.
Solid waste management
Solid waste is dumped in the dumping ground without any treatment.
There are no dustbins in the SMC area. The garbage is thrown on the streets and the drains,
chocking the drainage system resulting water logging problem especially in the monsoon.
Lack of covered vans for the collection and transportation of the solid waste. Uncovered Tri-
cycle vans with bins are mostly used for carrying the solid waste, spilling the solid waste on the
roads while moving.
The practice of at-source segregation and treatment of solid-waste has been stopped.
SWM based on PPP modalities is not practiced at present.
Existing staffs lacks proper training and knowledge of latest technologies used for SWM.
Roads and Street light
The updates map of road network has not been prepared. The last survey was done in 2008.
The departments lack proper documentation of the information. There is lot of data discrepancy
within the same department.
Use of computer is negligible. The officers are reluctant to use computers for day to day work.
As a result the efficiency of the department and authentication of the information is
compromised.
The officers lack proper training and awareness about the latest technologies and tools used by
the other ULBs in the country.
Urban Poor
The present slum specific information on the access to infrastructural services are not
documented by the corporation
Due to absence of maps, the slums locations in the city cannot be traced
Though SMC has institutionalized UPE cell, its effectiveness in slum up-gradation initiatives is
uncertain.
2.6.4 Urban Planning
SMC has limited role in preparation of holistic development plans.
SMC is unable to control the unplanned development
Most of the development plans are not based on realistic projected population
Manual system is in place for approval of building plans within SMC.
No mechanism to monitor the implementation of the reforms at ULB level.
Lack of in-house capacity to prepare the master plans/land use plans for the city.

[15]]

2.7 Key Areas of Capacity Building
2.7.1 Municipal Governance
Support is required in following areas;
Perform the designated roles efficiently and effectively
Efficient data management and documentation systems
Implementation of Reforms
Efficient assets maintenance by the ULBs
Efficient consumer grievance redressal
Recruitment of staffs to fill the vacant posts
Special emphasis should be given on soft-skill trainings (such as leadership, time-management,
motivation, communication skills etc) for the senior and middle cadre officials
Handholding support is required;
Defining roles and responsibilities of the staffs at various levels across all departments, along
with the elected members involved in the functioning of the corporation
The ULB should be strengthened and evolved as a nodal agency and resource center, with
better co-ordination with the boroughs
Assessment of training needs of the staffs for planning effective and efficient trainings and
capacity building programs.
Establishment of in-house training cell to ensure continuous and up-dated training programs for
the staffs and elected representatives on latest technologies and concepts on management of
civic services
2.7.2 Financial Management
Strengthening of the double entry accounting system and installation of a robust software
Penetration of the new accounting system across different cost centers (department).
Strengthening the asset management system (real time updation)
Financial management should be a training across all the departments to ensure effective
financial planning
The budget estimates and the actual receipts/ expenditures shows major deviation (50-60%).
Need for prudent financial planning.
2.7.3 Service Delivery
Mapping of infrastructure, especially in the slum areas need to be initiated
Introduction of PPP modalities and training on implementation of projects on PPP basis for
SWM, sewerage treatment, awareness programs, maintenance of existing services
Special training on efficient and sustainable SWM, reduction of NRW, rain water harvesting
techniques, sewerage treatment, decongestion of core city areas, parking and road widening
techniques and practices and project conceptualization, implementation and monitoring
Installation of metering systems (at present only water supplied to the water treatment plant is
metered) for efficient planning of augmentation requirements


Development of under-ground sewerage system in SMC area and sewerage and solid waste
treatment plant
Development of IT based citizen grievance redressal system for better monitoring of the services
2.7.4 Urban Planning
Institutionalization of core planning cell (at present there is only one staff on contractual basis in SMC).
The urban planning cell should be trained to perform the following roles:
conceptualize urban planning projects at the corporation level and grass-root level
data and information up-gradation through various surveys and studies
coordinate with various departments to understand the development and augmentation
requirements and prepare development plans accordingly
close monitoring of the development projects


3. Brief City Profile

Siliguri is the head quarter of the plains Sub Division of Darjeeling District of West Bengal and is situated
392 feet above mean Sea level and in the foot hills of the Himalayas on the bank of the river
Mahananda. A part of the city spreads over neighboring Jalpaiguri district. It is located in the Siliguri
Corridor a narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states.
Siliguri, situated as it is in the plains at the base of the Himalaya Mountains, connects the hill stations
such as Gangtok, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik and northeast states to the rest of India. It
is the largest city of North Bengal. The city is surrounded by dense forest ranges and is prone to wild
animals straying into populated areas.
Siliguri is the trade and commerce centre and the gate way to the North East India. Siliguri acts as a
transit point for air, rail and road, connecting the neighboring countries like Nepal (lies in the west of the
city 10 km from Bagdogra), Bhutan (on the North East about 40 km) and Bangladesh (in the south of
Fulbari). The strategic location of the city makes it a base for essential supplies to the above regions.
The four 'T's - Tea, Timber, Tourism and Transport - are the main businesses of Siliguri. It is a principal
commercial, tourism, transportation, and educational centre in the northern part of West Bengal.
3.1 Population
As per 2011 India census, the total population of Siliguri is 5 lakhs in an area of 41.9 sq. kms. The
population of the town has continuously increased leading to its expansion because of the huge
immigrants from Nepal, Southern Bhutan and adjacent Indian states apart from eastern Bengal. The
sudden increase in population in 2001 can be due to the formation of Siliguri Municipal Corporation in
1994 and addition of 17 wards within the corporation limits.
Table 1: Population growth trends
Year Population Decadal Growth Rate
1981 1,53,825 -
1991 2,16,950 29%
2001 4,72,374 48.7%
2011 5,09,709 8%
Source: DDP, Siliguri
Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Siliguri has an average literacy rate of 77%,
higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 53%, and female literacy is 47% of the total
literate population.
As per census data 2001, the total slum population constitutes 36% of the total urban population in
Siliguri. However, since 2011 census report for Siliguri is yet to be published, latest information on slums
is not available with the corporation.
Assuming average house-hold size in Siliguri to be 4.5, there are approximately 1,13,269 house-holds in
the corporation area.


[18]
Table 2: Status of Siliguri Municipal Corporation
S.
No.
Indicator Value
1 Population density 12,165 persons per sq km
2 Decadal Population Growth Rate (2001 2011) 8%
3 Literacy Rate 77%
4 Sex Ratio 951 per 1,000 males
9 Household information 1,13,269 households
10 % Slum Population 36% (2001)
Source: Provisional Census 2011 & SMC


4. Municipal Governance
4.1 Existing Status
The Siliguri Municipality was established in 1949. Till 1994 Siliguri Municipality had 30 wards under it.
After the declaration of Siliguri Municipal Corporation in 1994, 17 new wards are added under its
Jurisdiction. Siliguri is a unique city as 15 out of 47 wards of Siliguri Municipal Corporation falls in
neighbouring Jalpaiguri district.
Siliguri Municipal Corporation follows the
West Bengal Municipal Corporation
(Amendment) Act 2009 for the
functioning of the corporation.
As per the West Bengal Municipal
Corporation (Amendment) Act 2009,
the municipal authority consists of the
Corporation, the Mayor-In-Council
(MIC) and the Mayor. The elected
wing governs the planning of the
area, whereas the administrative wing
is responsible for implementation of
the plans.
Unlike other ULBs in the country, in
West Bengal, the administrative wing
in the state is governed by the elected
wing of the corporation. As per
Section 10 (1) of the Act, the Board of
Councilors, selected by the Mayor
from the elected members, are
charged with the authority of the
Municipal Government of the
Corporation. The political structure of
the corporation is given below:

Figure 2: SMC Ward Map


[20]

As per the West Bengal Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act 2009, a group of wards are
administered by the Borough Committee. Each borough consists of minimum 6 contiguous wards. The
chairman of the borough is elected by the ward councilors, of the wards under that borough. The
borough governs the civic services to their respective wards. In Siliguri Municipal Corporation, 47 wards
are divided in to 5 Borough as follows:
Table 3: Borough-wise ward distribution details
BOROUGH WARDS TOTAL
NO. I 1, 2, 3 ,4, 5, 45, 46, 47 08 WARDS
NO. II 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 10 WARDS
NO. III 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28 10 WARDS
NO. IV 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34,35 10 W ARDS
NO. V 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 09 WARDS
Source: DDP, Siliguri

Figure 3: Political Wing of SMC
Mayor
Mayor- In- Council
(7 members including Mayor & Deputy Mayor)
Borough Committee
Ward Committee
Councilors
Ward-workers
Elected by the ward councilors
Elected by the Mayor
Leader of the
Opposition
Borough Chairman elected
by the ward councilors
Headed by the Ward
Councilor as Chairman
Elected through municipal
elections
Deputy -Mayor
Chairman

Each ward is further governed by the ward committees, with the ward councilor as the Chairman of the
committee. Other than the above mentioned committee, functioning of the corporation is also supervised
by the Leader of Opposition, Municipal Accounts Committee and Standing Committees. Each ward
councilors can be member of maximum two standing committees. The following Standing Committees
has been proposed in the Act 2009:
a) Finance & resource Mobilization Standing Committee
b) Solid Waste Management Standing Committee
c) Water Supply, Public Health and Sanitation Standing Committee
d) Public Works Standing Committee
e) Health Education and Urban Poverty Alleviation Standing Committee
The Municipal Commissioner acts as the principal Executive officer of the corporation under the
supervision of the Mayor. The administrative wing of the corporation is given below:

Functions of ULB
The 18 functionaries listed under 12
th
Schedule of the 74
th
CAA and the responsible authority structure is
described below:
Figure 4: Administrative wing of SMC
Municipal Commissioner
Secretary Executive Engineer Finance Officer
Finance & Accounts
Department
P.W.D Project implementation
Team
Urban Planner AFC
GI
General
Review
Cell
UPE Assessment Health Conservancy Market Vehicle
/Road
Sewerage &
SWM
Water Electric Edu. &
Culture
Tax & User Charge
Collection


[22]
Table 4: Functionaries under 12
th
Schedule Constitution and responsible authority
S. No Functionary Authority
1. Urban Planning including town planning Town Planning Cell, SMC
2. Regulation of land-use and construction of buildings Building Department, SMC
3. Planning for economic and social development SMC
4. Roads and Bridges PWD & SJDA
5. Water supply- domestic, industrial and commercial City Water Supply Department, SMC
6. Public health, sanitation, conservancy and SWM Conservancy Environment SMC
7. Fire Services
8.
Urban Forestry, protection of environment and
ecology
Conservancy Environment SMC
(Partly)
9.
Safeguarding the interests of weaker sections society
including the handicaps and mentally retarded
U.P.E Cell, SMC
10. Slum improvement and up gradation U.P.E Cell, SMC
11. Urban Poverty alleviation U.P.E Cell, SMC
12.
Provision of urban amenities and facilities- Parks,
gardens and playgrounds
PWD
13.
Promotion of cultural, educational and esthetic
aspects
Education & Culture, SMC
14.
Burials and Burial Grounds, cremations and
cremation grounds and electric crematoriums
Not Available
15. Cattle pounds, prevention of cruelty to animals Not available
16.
Vital statistics including registration of birth and
deaths
Birth & Death, SMC
17.
Public amenities including street lighting, parking lots,
bus stops and public conveyances
Electricity Department, PWD
18. Regulation of slaughter houses and tanneries Not available
Source: SMC
4.1.1 Assessment of Human Resource
As per the Draft Development Plan prepared by SMC, there are 622 staffs working against 685 posts
sanctioned for the SMC.
Table 5: Detailed Sanctioned cadre in SMC
Department
Total
No. of
Staff
Designation Responsibility
General
Administration
108
P. A to Mayor, Head Clerk, Addl. Head
Clerk, P. A. to Commissioner, OSD
(Legal), Clerk, Clerk-cum-Typist,
Urban Planner, IT Co-ordinator, Store
Keeper, Guard, Care-Taker, Law
Assistant, Daftari & peon, Attendant
Various general administration
work of SMC. Guest House,
Store & Staff welfare, Pension
etc.

Department
Total
No. of
Staff
Finance &
Accounts
Dept.
8
Finance Officer (Deputed by the State
Govt.), Finance & Accounts Co-
ordinator, Accountant, Cashier, Dy.
Accountant, Sr. Clerk, Clerk & Peon
All kind of receipt & payments,
salary disbursement and Cash
book entry through the double
entry system
Assessment
Dept.
3
Assessment In-Charge, Assessor &
Asst. Assessment Inspector
New holding numbers, interim
assessment and assess the
annual valuation for the property
tax through the central valuation
board etc.
Collection 16
Tax Collector In-Charge, Astt. Tax
Collector & Collecting Sarkar
Collection of Property Tax
Conservancy
& Sanitary
334
Sanitary Inspector, Conservancy
Inspector, Asst. Conservancy
Inspector, Mate, Ward Supervisor &
Sweeper, Driver
Various sanitation, conservancy
work & sweeping work in the
municipal area
Health 3
Doctor (Appointed by the State Govt.),
Vaccinator, Health Assistant & GDA &
Health worker, Driver
to act in the Matri Sadan Health
centre and other health centre in
the slum area & performing the
immunization work
License 2
License Inspector, Asst. License
Inspector
Issue of Trade License
(Provisional Certificate)
Light 13
SAE (Elec), Electrician, Light Sarkar,
Electric Helper & peon
Maintenance of Street Light, All
municipal Buildings and
electrical work of Rabindra
Mancha & Park and Gardens in
the SMC area and maintenance
of Electric Crematorium
Market 3
Superintendent of Market, Guard,
Peon
Toll fees collection of all
municipal markets.
PWD 98
Exe. Engineer (Govt. Deputed), Asst.
Engineer, SAE (civil), Surveyor, Work
Supervisor, Work Assistant, Driver,
Mazdoor & Labourer
Construction and maintenance
work of Roads, Drains,
Buildings, demolish the illegal
construction and passed the
residential & commercial plans
in the municipal area. & various
project work
Vehicles 18 SAE (Mech), Driver, Cleaner, Peon
Maintenance of all kind of
departmental vehicles


[24]
Department
Total
No. of
Staff
Urban Poverty
Elevation cell
16 Community Organiser, TPO
Various project work in the slam
area & Urban area under the
SMC
Total 622

Source: Administration and Establishment Department, SMC
The corporation lacks technical staffs, especially in departments such as water supply conservancy-
sewerage and solid waste management department. It has also been observed during discussion with
ULB officials that the level of coordination between zonal and main office needs to be strengthened. The
collection of taxes and user charges are administers under the Finance and Accounts section. The
concerned departments responsible for civic service delivery are unaware of the revenue collections and
available funds for the development works.
4.1.2 Training & Capacity Building
SMC has not conducted any training & capacity building program for the officials except basic training on
computer operations for General Administration and Finance & Accounts Departments. Most of the
officials lack knowledge and hence interest in performing the assigned roles. The officials are also
unaware of the government schemes and missions launched for the development of the urban areas. It
was also observed that majority of the officials are reluctant to use the computers for data management
and day to day work. Though basic computer operation training was conducted for senior and middle
cadre staffs by SIT, the effectiveness of the training is insignificant.
The corporation should also take initiative to mandate the use of computers and also ensure the
availability of computers to the officials for use.
The corporation should take initiatives to conduct training programs to improve the skills, knowledge and
exposure for the staffs, required to perform the assigned responsibilities.
4.1.3 Status of e-governance
SMC has initiated the process of implementation of e-governance. The E-governance project in SMC is
monitored by CMU- KUSP, funded by DIFD. Presently on Birth & Death and Trade License has been
implemented. A person has been deputed under the corporation for proving the hand-holding required
for the implementation of e-governance.


5. Municipal Financial Management
5.1 Existing Status Financial Management
Financial Planning: The financial planning for the corporation is done by the Finance & Accounts
Department under the supervision of the MIC. As per the West Bengal Municipal Corporation
(Amendment) Act 2009, Municipal Accounts Committee is formed annually. The committee is headed by
the member of opposition in the Corporation as Chairman. The other members (minimum 3 and
maximum 5 members) are selected by the Board of Councilors from amongst themselves. Maximum 2
officials or employees of the corporation, selected by the Board of Council are also a member of this
committee. It is the responsibility of the Municipal Accounts Committee to supervise the accounting and
its mechanism of the corporation.
The corporation prepares the annual budget estimate based on the income and expenditure incurred by
the corporation. The budgets for public works are not included in the corporation budget. The Mayor
presents the budget to the Board of Councilors for its approval by 15
th
day of February every year. The
zero-base budgeting has been adopted by the corporation for preparation of its financial planning. Due
to internal issues among the present Board of Councilors, the budget for 2011-12 has not been
approved.
Table 6: Variation in Planned and Actual Budget
Financial Year Budget (Rs in crore) Actual (Rs in crore) % of achievement
2008-09 115 71 61%
2009-10 163 89 55%
2010-11 181 79 43%
2011-12 144 93 64%
2012-13 147 103 71%
Source: Finance & Accounts Department, SMC
Accounting System: The Corporation has initiated the process of implementation of double accounting
system for maintaining the accounts as per the manual developed by the state government. However,
the department faces technical issues while using the accounting program. The development of
improved accounting program has already been initiated by the state.
The valuation and listing of has been completed.
Auditing: The audit for the corporation is conducted by external audit agency, appointed by the state
government. The corporation follows post-audit mechanism for auditing purpose. The audit reports are
scrutinized by the leader from the opposition as per the West Bengal Municipal Corporation
(Amendment) Act, 2009.
5.2 Existing Status - Municipal Finances



[26]
Table 7: Financial Status
Particulars 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Rs in Lakhs
Opening Balance 1,406 1,648 3,415 2,414 4,055
Revenue Receipts 2,397 2,573 2,771 3,575 4,019
Revenue Expenditure 1,971 2,385 2,620 3,408 4,314
Capital Receipts 1,118 4,903 3,267 5,331 3,301
Capital Expenditure 1,303 3,323 4,418 3,858 3,564
Closing Balance 1,648 3,415 2,414 4,055 3,497
Table 8: Planned vs Actual for last 5 Years
Years
(Rs. In Cr)
Budget Provision Actual Received Total
2008-09 18.93 13.23 70%
2009-10 21.44 12.09 56%
2010-11 25.54 16.87 66%
2011-12 23.72 21.54 91%
2012-13 30.38 27.44 90%
Source of revenue
The major source of income for the Corporation is Tax revenue and revenue from Fees and User
charges. Market Rent and Water Tax are the main source of income for the corporation. The Revenue
grants, Contributions and Subsides are also major source of income for the corporation. The expense on
Establishment is highest incurred by the corporation. From the detailed revenue and expenditure
balance sheet, it is evident that corporation is running under deficit. The details of the revenue and
expenditure are given below:
Table 9: Detailed revenue and expenditure SMC
Major Account Head 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
REVENUE RECEIPTS (Rs. In Lakhs)
Tax Revenue 477 523 541 524 631
Assigned Revenues and
Compensation
139 254 248 321 273
Rental Income - Municipal
Properties
16 25 29 30 35
Fees and User Charges 906 495 746 650 1,025
Sale and Hire Charges 3 12 7 5 0
Revenue Grants,
Contributions and Subsidies
766 1,161 958 1,878 1,874
Income from Investments 16 78 86 78 -

Major Account Head 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Interest Earned - - - - -
Other Income 73 24 157 90 180
Total 2,397 2,573 2,771 3,575 4,019
REVENUE EXPENDITURE (Rs. In Lakhs)
Establishment Expenses 1,059 1,165 1,356 1,991 2,292
Administrative Expenses
(General Maintn)
127 310 241 340 393
Operations and Maintenance 709 796 903 860 1,352
Interest and Finance
Charges
- - - - -
Program Expenses( Maint of
Cultural deptt)
53 79 79 185 257
Revenue Grants,
Contributions and Subsidies
- - - - -
Miscellaneous Expenses 23 36 41 33 21
- - - - -
Total 1,971 2,385 2,620 3,408 4,314
Revenue Surplus/ (Deficit) 426 188 150 168 -295
CAPITAL RECEIPTS (Rs. In Lakhs)
Grants, Contributions for
Specific purposes
831 4,564 2,861 4,737 3,082
Secured Loans - - - - -
Unsecured Loans - 8 - - -
Deposits Received - - - - -
Deposit Works 196 78 194 470 214
Others Sources(BSNL/Rel) 91 254 211 124 5
Total 1,118 4,903 3,267 5,331 3,301
CAPITAL EXPENDITURE (Rs. In Lakhs)
Fixed Assets 1,135 3,220 4,321 3,847 3,563
Investments General Fund - - - - -
Investments Other Funds - - - - -
Stock in hand - - - - -
Loans, advances and
deposits
- - - - -
Other Assets 168 103 97 11 1
Total 1,303 3,323 4,418 3,858 3,564
Capital Surplus/ (Deficit) -184 1,579 -1,151 1,473 -263
Total Surplus/ (Deficit) 242 1,767 -1,000 1,641 -558


[28]
Table 10: Collection of Own Funds for last 5 Years
Years Tax Revenue Non- Tax Revenue Total
2008-09 5.41 7.82 13.23
2009-10 5.24 6.85 12.09
2010-11 6.25 10.62 16.87
2011-12 7.10 14.44 21.54
2012-13 7.34 20.10 27.44
Government Grants
Table 11: Details of the Government Grants received by SMC
HEAD OF RECEIPTS
Actual Receipt (Rs. In Lakhs)
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12
Plan Grant

1,973

6,159

4,467

7,377

5,803

6,892
Non-Plan Grant

-

-

-

100

-

580
Capital Grand

Central Govt.

589

4,297

2,443

4,643

2,813

3,753
State Govt.

1,145

1,683

1,609

2,292

2,446

2,868
Others Govt.

269

167

483

676

663

418
Own Fund Collection/ GSLI
Claim

110

266

179

87

154

93
Loan Taken

-

8

1,051

-

-

10
Encashment of FD/ Bank
Deposit

-

-

-

-

115

-
Sub Total of Capital Receipt

2,112

6,421

5,766

7,697

6,191

7,142
Revenue Grand

Tax Revenue

477

523

541

524

625

710
Other Tax Revenue

926

532

782

685

1,062

1,444
Sub Total of Revenue Receipt

1,403

1,055

1,323

1,209

1,687

2,154
Grand Total Receipt

3,515

7,476

7,088

8,906

7,878

9,296

Property Tax
The corporation has already implemented property tax in the corporation area. The property tax is fixed
on the base unit area value as per the West Bengal Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2009, by
the State Valuation agency and is subjected to revision after every 5 years. The property tax in the state
has not been revised for last 10 years. However, the revision of the tax has already been initiated by the

valuation agency. As per draft valuation list by West Bengal Valuation Board, total Assessed properties
are 96,000 approx. However, till date only 80,307 properties has been taxed. The total number of
assessed properties for the year 2012-13, does not include the number of new mutation properties. The
details of the total number of assessed properties under the corporation area for last three years are
given below:
Table 12: Assessment Details
Description 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Total number of assessed properties 67874 77529 80307
Source: Assessment Department, SMC
The property tax bill is sent to individual property owners and the bills are collected by the ward tax
collectors appointed by the corporation. As per the Act 2009, Sec.116, corporation has authority to
reduce the property tax under special circumstances. The exact number of properties under the
corporation area has not been listed and documented. Hence, it is difficult to estimate the total revenue
that can be generated from the property tax collection. The property tax collection details for last three
year by SMC are given below:
Table 13: Collection Details (Rs in Lakhs)
Particular 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Demand
Arrears 443.75 435.66 413.81
Current 355.28 397.67 428.70
Total Demand 799.02 833.34 842.51
Disputed Demand

Arrears 246.62 381.57 416.69
Current 10.70 10.70 0.00
Total Disputed Demand 257.33 392.27 416.69
Recoverable Demand

Arrears 100.09 112.18 197.70
Current 263.27 307.34 312.21
Total Recoverable Demand 363.36 419.52 509.91
Source: Assessment Department and Finance & Accounts Department, SMC
Key municipal financial indicators


[30]
Table 14: Municipal Financial Indicators
Indicators Value
Own revenues as a proportion of total revenue receipts (Rs 18.72 cr/ Rs 40.19 cr) 47%
Per capita own revenues (Rs 18.72 cr/ 5.09 lakhs) Rs 367
Non-tax revenues as a proportion of own revenues (Rs 12.4 cr/ Rs 18.72 cr) 66%
Per capita property tax demand (Rs 4.2 cr/ 5.09 lakhs) Rs 84
Coverage for property tax net 80% approx.
Property tax collection performance (Rs 3.1 cr/ Rs 4.2 cr) 73%
Water charges collection performance NA
Operating ratio (revenue expenditure/ revenue receipts)
(Rs 43 cr/ Rs 40 cr) FY 2012-13
1.07
Per capita O&M expenditure (Rs 1765 lakhs/ 5.09 lakhs) Rs 346
Salary as percentage of Revenue Income (Rs 22.9 cr/ Rs 40 cr) 57%
Salary as percentage of Revenue Expenditure (Rs 22.9 cr/ Rs 43 cr) 53%
Staff per 1000 population (622/ 5.09 lakhs x 1000) 1.2
Debt Servicing Coverage Ratio (<=1.50) - (O.S+D.S / D.S) NA
Debt Service Ratio (Max 25%) - (Debt/ Revenue income) NA
Key concerns:
Operating ratio beyond 1 indicating revenue deficit.
Salary expenditure as % age of revenue income is comparatively on higher side.
Decent coverage of properties; however per capita demand is low when compared to other cities
The corporation has not undertaken any survey to map and enlist the exact number of properties (
residential and non-residential ) under the corporation area.
As per the West Bengal Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2009, the ward committee and
the corporation has the authority to exempt property tax under certain circumstances. However,
validation or monitoring of such exemptions is not been done and documented.
The number of defaulters is very high in the corporation. Majority of such properties are under
government holding.


6. Urban Service Delivery
6.1 Implementation
The Siliguri Municipal Corporation is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the civic
services through various departments under the SMC area. Each department is supervised a member of
the MIC. As per the Corporation Act, Borough Committees are accountable for the municipal services
such as collection and removal of the garbage, house connection for water supply and sewerage etc. for
each borough. The details of the departments responsible for each of the key civic services are given
below:
Table 15: Details of civic service implementation authority
Service Authority in-charge
Services to urban poor
Town Planning department- Project planning
U.P.E- Project implementation
PHED- Construction and maintenance work
Water Supply
PHED- Construction and maintenance
City Water Supply department- Monitoring of the services
Mechanical Department- Maintenance of the pumps
Sewerage Conservancy department
Solid waste Management Conservancy department
Roads Vehicles Department
Street lighting Electricity Department
Source: SMC
6.2 Services to urban poor
A total of about 154 slums pockets identified under the corporation boundary. The total population in the
slum is 1,68,217 constituting 33% of the total population in the corporation. There are 35,134 house-
holds residing in these slum pockets. The total area under slums is approximately 3.03 Sq. KM (7% of
the total corporation area).
Under the West Bengal Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act 2009, the provision for formation of
Poverty Alleviation cell (UPE cell) and separate fund allocation for urban poor has been inserted. UPE
cell conducts various vocational trainings in the slum areas. Currently there are 15 CDS for 33 wards in
the city (as per UPE cell only 33 wards have slums). The projects are implemented through SUDA by the
UPE Cell. The major initiatives taken are:
Formation of SHGs under SJSRY: at present there are 955 SHG, with 13 BPl women in each
group. After 1 year of the formation of such group, Rs. 25,000 is assigned to each such group as
a revolving fund. Rs. 2000 is given to each person as a loan.
STEP-UP: 6 months vocational training for women from BPL house-holds. At present, 1500
beneficiaries are being trained and 5500 more beneficiaries are approved for training. The
trainings are conducted on computer operations, tailoring, beautification courses, paper bag
making, BPO call center training etc. The beneficiaries are identified through CDS selection.


[32]
Innovative Challenge Fund (ICF): this project is implemented through KUSP. 35% of the project
cost for manufacturing spices and brooms is funded under Urban Women Self-Help program
(UWSP)- SJSRY, to a group of 20 members.
Urban Self Employment Program (USEP): Individual loans are disburse and 25% subsidy is
provided on the total project cost.

Other than the above mentioned projects, UPE has also under taken few engineering and construction
work in the slum areas. The details of the expenses for implementation of the projects and engineering
and construction work for the urban poor for the year 2012-13 are given below:
Table 16: Total expenses under UPE for the year 2012-13
Heads
Amt.
(Rs. In Lakhs)
1. Establishment 44.24
2. Maintenance 52.98
3. Misc. 0.54
4. Capital Expenses 1152.59
Grand Total 1250.35
SMC has taken a major initiative for up-gradation of basic infrastructural facilities in slum under IHSDP
program funded by JNNURM. The total project cost is estimated to be Rs. 4314.46 lakhs. The funds will
be utilized for construction of EWS housing and infrastructures such as roads, drains, toilets, water
supply, street lights etc. The total beneficiary identified under this project is 22898 households. The
project is being implemented by PWD- for the construction work, U.P.E and Urban Planning cell SMC.
The status of the project till 2013 is given below:
Table 17: Status of 3 pro-poor reforms till 2013, IHSDP Phase-I
Sl
.
Pro poor
reforms
Target
Year of
Completio
n (as per
MoA)
Status
(Rs. In Lakhs)
1
(a) Internal
Earmarkin
g of Funds
for Urban
Poor
2011-12
Financial
Year
Total ULB
Fund - Own
Source
Amount
Earmarke
d
%
earmarke
d
Amount
Utilized
%
Utilize
d
2008-09

2,090.21
525.06 25.12 371 71%
2009-10

2,144.06
583.40
27.21 426 73%
2010-11

2,555.08
643.37 25.18 437 68%
2011-12

2,371.73
593.90 25.04 534 90%
2012-13

3,037.51
776.05 25.55
data not
finalised
2
Basic
Services to
2011 -12 Name of the Service Status (Achievement) Remarks

Sl
.
Pro poor
reforms
Target
Year of
Completio
n (as per
MoA)
Status
(Rs. In Lakhs)
Urban
Poor
No.s %
All the gaps will
be fullfilled by
2012-13
Housing 5063 83%
Water Supply 17600 77%
Sanitation 14380 63%
Solid Waste Management 16485 72%
Primary Education
for 6-14 yrs
(SSK, Municipal School,
ICDS,GSFP etc.)
18550 81%
Health Care 17586 77%
Social
Security
(Insurance
)
1.NOAPS
Universal coverage of
eligible beneficiaries
2. NFBS
3.JSY
4.IGNDOS
5.IGNWPS
3
Earmarkin
g of at
least 20-
25% of
developed
land in
housing
projects
2011-12
For all public sector as well as the Joint Venture Housing projects,
construction of EWS/LIG category houses have been made compulsory
. For private sector, a suitable legislation would be enacted by the State
Government after due consultation with all stakeholders in Government
as well as in the Private Sector after due examination of the economic
and commercial impact of such legislation.
ULBs to follow State Policy
Source: IHSDP Cell, SMC
Key concerns:
The present slum specific information on the access to infrastructural services are not
documented by the corporation
Due to absence of maps, the slums locations in the city cannot be traced
Though SMC has institutionalised UPE cell, its effectiveness in slum up-gradation initiatives is
uncertain.
6.3 Water Supply
The water supply in the SMC area is administered by the PHE department along with SMC. The water
supply network in SMC started in 1995 for the 30 wards under it. The implementation of the water supply
project in the entire SMC completed in 2001. The existing intake well is located at Phulbari, 9 kms away
from the city on canal water from Teesta Barriage. The existing capacity of the intake well is 70 MLD.
Due to unavailability of metering system the capacity utilization for the intake-well cannot be established.
The water from the in-well is pumped to the treatment plant of capacity 55.02 MLD, through 1100 mm
dia pipes. The treatment plant is 1 Km away from the in-take well. The water supplied to the treatment
plant is metered, and approximately 48MLD of water is treated every day at the treatment plant. The


[34]
treated water is then stored at the Clear Water Reservoir (CWR), through 900mm dia, located at
Zhonkar. From the CWR, the water is then taken to GLR-I, at Shakti Garh, and GLR-II, behind the
Anandalok nursing home. The details of the CWR and GLR are given below:
Table 18: Details of reservoir
Sr No Name of Reservoir Year of Commissioning
On ground
(lakhs Gallon)
1 CWR- Zhonkar 1999- 2001 13.19
2 GLR-I ( Shakti Garh) 1999- 2001 1 6.6
3 GLR-II (Siliguri) 1999-2001 2- 4.4
TOTAL

11
Source: water Supply, PHED, SMC
The treated water from the Ground Level Reservoirs (GLR) is then pumped to 13 Over Head reservoir
(OHR). Two more OHR will be operational soon. SMC is divided in to 13 administrative zones for water
supply, which will be catered by the 15 OHR for their water supply. Each zone has their reservoir for
domestic water supply. The details of the water supply zones with the reservoirs and wards under them
are given below:
Table 19: Zone-wise details of the reservoirs
Sr.No Zone No. of OHR Ward Nos.
1. Zone-I 2 6,10,11,13,14
2. Zone-II 1 4,5,7,9
3. Zone-III 2 30,25,26,27,28
4. Zone-IV 1 12,15,16,17,18,19,20,21
5. Zone-V 1 22,23,24,29
6. Zone-VI 1 1,2,3
7. Zone-VII A 1 31, 32, 33 (70%)
8. Zone-VII B 1 33 (30%), 34, 35
9. Zone- VIII A 1 39,40,41 (80%)
10. Zone- VIII B 1 36, 37, 38
11. Zone-IX A 1 41 (20%), 43 (50%), 44
12. Zone- IX B 1 42, 43 (50%)
13. Zone-X 1 45, 46, 47
Total 13 Zones 15
Source: City water Supply, SMC
At present, OHR in Zone-IX A is under litigation. OHR in Zone-X is nearly complete and expected to be
functionalise soon. OHR in Zone-VIII A is under construction. The land for reservoir has already been
acquired and in process of tender finalization. The status of present water supply network can be
summarized as below:
Table 20: Status of SMC water supply network
Sr No Details Unit

1. Length of network Km 473.4

Sr No Details Unit

2. Coverage of total area % 80
3. Per Capita water supply LPCD 95
4. Total population covered % 80
5. Public stand posts number 1380
6. H/H Connections Number 22,000
7. Frequency of water supply Twice a day for 2 hrs
Source: Water Supply, SMC
The present water supply network was designed for the initial 30 wards under municipality to serve a
population of 2 lakhs approx. However, no augmentation of the network was implemented, to serve the
additional population of the added of 17 new wards. The water supplied only for 2 hrs twice a day and is
insufficient for users. The water demand for industrial and big housing societies are not catered by SMC
water supply. Bore-wells are the main source of water in Siliguri. The details of the domestic and
commercial water connection are given below:
Table 21: Details of number of water connections in SMC
Sl.
Connections 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12
Total
Connection till
date
i Domestic 1088 1796 2045 2358 3091 18,638
ii Commercial 15 8 15 12 13 205
iii
Residential cum
Commercial
1 0 2 3 3 21

Total
Connections
1104 1804 2062 2373 3107 18,864
Source: Water Supply, PHED, SMC
SMC has already implemented nominal water charges based on the no. of connections. The connection
charges are Rs. 1 per sq.ft. per connection. 10 % of the connection charges are collected as user fee
from the users. For eg: for 3000 sq.ft house, connection charge is Rs. 3000 (one time) and Rs. 30 is
monthly fee. The applicable water charges are determined by the revenue inspector at the time of
connection. The details of the total collection water connection charge and water tax are given below:
Table 22: Total collection from water supply by SMC
Details (Rs. In Lakhs) 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Collection of water tax
38.66 44.41 52.21 51.43 63.62 56.91
Total water connection
charges
58.13 101.97 117.25 137.21 167.92 168.50
Source: Water Supply, SMC
The details of the operating expenses and revenue generation from collection of the user charges are
maintained by the Finance & Accounts department under SMC. The involvement of the officials from the
department in budget preparation is very limited. The funds are allocated by the Finance & Accounts


[36]
department for all construction and maintenance works. The details of the total operating expenses of
the Water Supply department are given below:
Table 23: Details of operating expenses on water supply under SMC
Sr. No. Heads
Amt.
(Rs. In Lakhs)
1 Establishment 13.44
2 Maintenance 419.89
3 Misc. 0.53
Grand Total 433.86
6.3.1 Service level indicators of water supply
Table 24: Service level indicators: Water Supply
S. No Indicator Value
Water Supply
1 Coverage of water supply connections (as per discussion) 80% approx
2
Per capita supply of water
(48 MLD supply / 5.09 lakh population)
95 lpcd
3 Extent of metering of water connections 0%
4 Extent of Non-Revenue Water NA
5 Continuity of water supply 2 Hour
6 Efficiency in redressal of customer complaints NA
7 Quality of water supplied

8 Cost recovery in water supply services (Rs 225 lakhs/ Rs 434 lakhs) 52%
9 Efficiency in collection of water supply related charges NA
6.3.2 Proposed projects:
SMC has initiated the water supply augmentation project to improve the existing water supply network
under the corporation. The initiatives taken by SMC are as follows:
1. Construction of two new OHR to serve the added zones, Zone-VIII A and Zone-X. The total
project cost is estimated to be Rs. 13.14 Cr. The project is funded by the State Government and
the Siliguri Municipal Corporation
2. SMC in assistance with PHED, initiated a project to provide new household water supply
connections in the newly added wards from ward no. 31 to 44. The total project cost is Rs.
32.97 Cr and is funded by UAID. The project also covers improvement of drainage system in
these wards.
3. SMC is also in process to increase the amount of water supply. An alternative source has been
identified at Gajol Doba, 28 kms from the city. The proposed capacity of the in-take well is 125
MGD. The proposal has already been sent to the State Government for approval and funding.

6.3.3 Key concerns:
The water supply in SMC area is governed by PHED. The present staff lacks experience to cater
the service.
SMC has not implemented water metering system. As a result exact quantity of the water
supplied to the users cannot be estimated.
The user complaints are routed through the councilor of the wards to SMC. The complaints are
addressed in piecemeal. As a result, holistic approach for the development and maintenance of
the existing supply network is lacking, increasing the cost of operation and maintenance and
reducing the efficiency of the system.
Due to lack of awareness for water conservation among the users, wastage of water is high.
Implementation of water metering system may lessen the wastage of water.
Implementation of Rain Water Harvesting system has not been initiated. Majority of the
population is dependent on ground water.
6.4 Sewerage and Sanitation
The sewerage and solid waste management in the corporation area is governed under the Conservancy
department. The five boroughs are in-charge for the provision and maintenance of the services, as
mentioned in the Act 2009. The Safai Karmacharis, appointed under each ward committee provides the
door-to door service for collection and maintenance of the sewerage and solid waste management.
At present the city doesnt have any sewerage network in place. Each building has its own septic tank.
As per the survey conducted in 2008 for GIS mapping of the city, there are total 87,000 septic tanks. The
waste from the septic tanks is collected by the Safai Karmacharis within 48 hrs of intimation by the
users. SMC has also introduced Tatkal service for the cleaning of septic tanks within 24 hrs of intimation.
However, an extra change Rs. 1000 is collected from the user for availing the tatkal service. The
collected untreated waste is disposed in the dumping ground on Eastern By-pass, located 1 km away
from the city. At present SMC owns 5 cess pool emptier and 2 emptier are taken on rent. The service
charges for cleaning the septic tanks are given below:
Rs. 300 per 3000 liters per trip for low-cost latrine, inside corporation area
Rs. 200 per 3000 liters per trip for low-cost latrines outside corporation area and community
toilets.
The total cess pool collection by the borough for the year 2011-12 is given below:
Table 25: Total Cess-pool collection for 2011-12
Borough Collection (in Rs) Total No. of trips
Borough I 6.04 909
Borough II 6.26 894
Borough III 12.92 965
Borough IV 8.11 1047


[38]
Borough Collection (in Rs) Total No. of trips
Borough V 9.76 1183
Total 42.37 4998
Source: Conservancy Department, SMC
6.4.1 Service level indicators for sewerage system in Siliguri
Table 26: Service level indicators: Sewerage
S.
No
Indicator Value
1 Coverage of toilets (87000 septic tanks, as per 2008 survey)
At present the city doesnt
have any sewerage
network in place. Each
building has its own septic
tank. As per the survey
conducted in 2008 for GIS
mapping of the city, there
are total 87,000 septic
tanks. The waste from the
septic tanks is collected by
the Safai Karmacharis
within 48 hrs of intimation
by the users. SMC has
also introduced Tatkal
service for the cleaning of
septic tanks within 24 hrs
of intimation.
2 Coverage of waste water network services
3 Collection efficiency of waste water network
4 Adequacy of waste water treatment capacity
5 Quality of waste water treatment
6 Extent of reuse and recycling of waste water
7
Extent of cost recovery in waste water management
Rs. 300 per 3000 liters per trip for low-cost latrine, inside corporation
area
Rs. 200 per 3000 liters per trip for low-cost latrines outside corporation
area and community toilets.
8 Efficiency in redressal of customer complaints
9 Efficiency in collection of sewerage related charges

6.4.2 Key concerns:
There is no sewerage network in the city.
Since, the city doesnt have proper sewerage systems; contamination of ground water is one of
the biggest threats.
There is no treatment plant to treat the sewerage before disposal.
The collected waste is manually disposed in the open dumping ground.
There is no accountability of the quality of the service provided, as exact number of house-holds
served is not available.
The coordination between the corporation and borough is very poor.
Existing staffs lacks knowledge and use of latest and efficient technologies for sewerage
treatment.

6.5 Solid Waste Management
The solid waste management in the corporation area is managed by the conservancy department. The
total waste collection from the city is approximately 280 tons per day (550 grams per day). The five
boroughs are in-charge for the provision and maintenance of the services in the respective borough, as
mentioned in the Act 2009. The Safai Karmacharis/ sweepers, appointed under each ward committee
provides the door-to door service for collection of garbage and solid waste and drain cleaning. At
present, there are 1446 temporary sweepers and 410 permanent sweepers under SMC and 60-65 ward
supervisors. At source segregation of waste is not practiced in the corporation area. The exact number
of houses presently served with door-to-door collection is unavailable with the corporation. The
infrastructure for solid waste collection under SMC is given below:
Table 27: Infrastructure for waste collection
S. No Particulars Existing Number
1 Covered Vans 226
2 Dumper placers 4
3 Tricycles 320
4 Tractors 20
5 Dumper Trucks 60
Total number of vehicles 630
Till 2011, the composite wastes were treated by Hindustan Jiban Rasayan Organisation for
manufacturing organic manures, under PPP. At present the role of SMC staffs are restricted only to
sanitary land-filling. However, SMC staffs have taken an initiative for composition of the waste in a small
scale. Earlier when at-source segregation of waste was in practice in the corporation area, the plastic
wastes were sold to the North Bengal Plastic Federation at Rs. 3.50 per Kg.
The un-treated waste is disposed in the dumping ground on Eastern By-pass, approximately 1 Km from
the city. The dumping ground is 28.7 acres. However, due to environmental nuisance in the near-by
residential areas due to the un-treated dumping of the solid waste, the present dumping ground is under
litigation. Bio-medical wastes are treated separately at the source before disposal.
The ward committee collects a monthly charge of Rs 10 from the residential and commercial buildings.
SMC has introduced conservancy charges for all hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, pathological labs,
Bhawans and mela grounds. SMC also collects charges for the use of dumping ground for disposal at
the rate of Rs. 500 per truck. The details of the conservancy charges are given below:
Table 28: Details of conservancy charges
Use Details Charges (per month)
Hotel
Up to 10 rooms Rs. 500
Up to 20 rooms Rs. 1000
More than 20 rooms Rs 1500
Nursing home
Up to 20 beds Rs. 2000
Up to 40 beds Rs. 3000


[40]
Use Details Charges (per month)
More than 40 beds Rs 5000
Pathology Labs
Small Rs. 300
Large Rs. 500
Marriage Hall
1 floor Rs. 1500
2 floors and above Rs. 2000
Small restaurants, eating junctions
on main road Rs. 1000
Other than main road Rs. 300
Sweet factory - Rs. 800
Stadiums - Rs 1000
Social Events - Rs 30 per stall per day.
The total revenue from the garbage collection for the last five years in the corporation area is given
below:
Table 29: Revenue from Waste Collection Fee
Borough
Year (Collection in Rs. Lakhs)
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
I 8.50 8.90 9.36 8.56 5.83
II 6.20 5.02 5.10 6.12 2.98
III 7.79 8.64 9.24 8.93 7.82
IV 9.22 8.74 11.56 13.18 6.88
V 9.56 9.03 12.67 12.35 9.72
Total 41.27 40.33 47.92 49.14 33.24
The expenses under conservancy department for both solid waste management and sewerage are
maintained by the finance and accounts department under SMC. The details of the expenses for the
year 2012-13 are given below:
Table 30: Total expenses by Conservancy Department
Sr. No. Heads
Amt.
(Rs. In Lakhs)
3 Misc. 0.53
Grant Total 1746.57
Source: Finance & accounts Department, SMC


SMC has identified a new location as dumping ground at Putimari in Binnaguri Mouja. The area of the
dumping ground is 21.7 acres.

6.5.2 Indicators
Table 31: Service level indicators - SWM
Indicator Value
1
Household-level coverage of SWM services
(D-t-D coverage in properties 103,000; Total no. of properties 206,784)
~90%
2
Efficiency of collection of municipal solid waste
(Waste collected 250 TPD; Generated 280 TPD)
~90%
3 Extent of segregation of municipal solid waste 0%
4 Extent of municipal solid waste recovered Data not available
5 Extent of scientific disposal of municipal solid waste 100%
6
Extent of cost recovery in SWM services
(Rs 0.5 crores collected against an expenditure of about Rs 17 cr)
~3%
7 Efficiency in customer complaint redressal Data not available
8 Efficiency in collection of SWM related user related charges Data not available

6.5.3 Key concerns:
Currently, solid waste is dumped in the dumping ground without any treatment creating
environmental nuisance in the near-by residential areas.
There are no dustbins in the SMC area. The garbage is thrown on the streets and the drains,
chocking the drainage system resulting water logging problem especially in the monsoon.
The number of covered vans for the collection and transportation of the solid waste is very less.
Uncovered Tri-cycle vans with bins are mostly used for carrying the solid waste, spilling the solid
waste on the roads while moving.
Existing staffs lacks proper training and knowledge of latest technologies used for SWM.
6.6 Roads, Storm Water Drains and Street lights
The roads within the corporation boundary are maintained by the Vehicles Department under SMC and
PWD. As, out of 47 wards, 15 wards falls under Jalpaiguri district, few major roads in these wards are
maintained by Siliguri- Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA).

Most of the roads within the corporation boundary are narrow of maximum road with of 4-5 meters. Most
of the roads are encroached by the shops and vehicles. The city faces heavy traffic congestion at the
peak hours, especially near the market areas. Availability of parking space is a big challenge for the
corporation. The scope of road widening is limited due to the existing building along the roads.

The public transport is dominated by local six-sitter auto-rickshaws, autos, and cycle rickshaws, making
the entire city accessible. The Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus is the major bus terminus for all
private and state owned buses connecting the neighbor states and countries. However, the road
conditions within the corporation boundary and the peripheral major roads, including the National


[42]
Highway- 31 is very poor. The details on the type of roads within the corporation boundary are given
below:
Table 32: Details of type of road in SMC
Sr. No. Type of Road Length (km)
1 Concrete 80
2 Tarred/Black Topped/Bituminous Topped 650
3 WBM 60
4 Earthen 35
5 Total 825

Total Surfaced Roads 790
Source: PWD, SMC

The drains run on both the side of the road and discharged into the river. Most of the drains are open.
Only 2% of the total drainage network is closed drains. The SMC has taken an initiative to increase the
number of drains within the corporation boundary as Drainage Scheme under UISSSMT program. The
construction of 86,766 meter drains length in 42 wards has already been completed. However, the
proposed drain length was only 80,775 meters.

The street lighting within the corporation boundary is governed by the Electricity Department under SMC.
At present 767 km of road is served with street lighting. The monitoring of the street lights is done by the
ward supervisors, under the ward committee. The present status of the street-light in the corporation
area is given below:
Table 33: Status of Street lighting in SMC
Sr.No. Description Street Lights
1. High Mast Lamps 75 (8 poles)
2. Mini high mast 273 (78 poles)
3. Metal halide 1206
4. LED 82
5. Sodium Vapour Lamps 718
6. Tube lights 16719
7. Others 5622
Total 24695
8. Total road length (km) 790
9. Road length served with street lights (km) 767
10. Installed automatic power on/off switches (no.) 130
11. Maintenance frequency of street lights
Maintenance based on complaints
received within 48 Hrs
Source: Electricity Department, SMC


All the financial details of expenses and revenue for the street light is maintained by the Finance and
Accounts department The total expenditure for operation and maintenance in SMC area for the year
2012-13 is given below:
Table 34: Total expenditure on street lighting in 2012-13
Sr.
No.
Heads
Amount
(Rs. In Lakhs)
3 Misc. 0.49
4 Capital Expenses 176.77
Grand Total 747.20

6.6.1 Service level indicators for roads and storm water drains and street light in
Siliguri
Table 35: Service level indicators: road & street light
Storm Water Drainage
1
Coverage of storm water drainage network
(Total length of drains 87 km; Road length 825 km)
11%
2 Incidence of water logging/flooding
Data not
available
Roads and Transportation
1
Road length per capita
(Total road length 825 km; Population 5,09,709)
1.62 m
2
Proportion of surfaced roads
(Total road length 825 km; Surfaced and semi-surfaced road length 790
km)
96%
3 O&M cost per kilometre of road (Rs. per km)
Data not
available

SMC has initiated the electrification of non-electrified areas under SMC as well as the peri urban areas.
The installation of electric poles is already done. SMC has also introduced energy saving illumination by
replacing the existing Solar Vapour and Metal fittings by T-5, CFL and LED lights. SMC has also
proposed the installation of solar lighting facility. The key projects proposed for the year 2013-14, with
the funding from State Government and own sources are as follows:
Installation of 200 timer switch arrangements. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 26 lakhs
Installation of solar lighting at different parks and gardens. The estimated project cost is Rs. 30
lakhs
Installation of High Mast and Mini High Mast at different traffic points. The estimated project cost
is Rs. 40 lakhs
Replacement of S.V sets with T-5, CFL and LED light set. The estimated project cost is Rs. 120
lakhs
Procurement of Hydraulic telescopic ladder with vehicle for maintenance works. The estimated
project cost is Rs. 100 lakhs


[44]

6.6.3 Key Concern:
The updates map of road network has not been prepared. The last survey was done in 2008.
Updating of information since then has not been done.
The departments lack proper documentation of the information. There is lot of data discrepancy
within the same department.
Use of computer is negligible. The officers are reluctant to use computers for day to day work.
As a result the efficiency of the department and authentication of the information is
compromised.
The officers lack proper training and awareness about the latest technologies and tools used by
the other ULBs in the country.
6.7 Service Level Benchmarks (SLB)
The West Bengal Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act 2009, has distributed the governance of the
civic services at various levels. The entire service delivery system lacks coordination and planning. The
influence and power of the political wing has affected the overall performance of the service delivery
mechanism. This has also reduced the accountability of the concerned departments in their respective
services. The actual information on present population, number of properties, slum details etc are not
present with the corporation. As a result, it is impossible to fix minimum standards for the service
delivery within the corporation area.

The Information Systems Improvement Plan (ISIP) and Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) are not
been prepared by SMC. Hence monitoring of the service delivery is complicated.
6.8 Grievance Redressal and Citizen Charter
SMC has already implemented Citizen Charter and formed Grievance Redressal Cell. Since most of the
operation and maintenance work is done by the ward committee, headed by the Councilor, the
complaints are routed through them to the Borough office and SMC. The role of the corporation in
grievance redressal is insignificant. The monitoring and follow-up of the grievance redressal is negligible.

To ensure time-bound service delivery, SMC has already initiated the services under citizen charter. The
details of the services under citizen charter are already uploaded on the website of Siliguri Municipal
Corporation. However, on-line application and payments option for the services have not been started
yet.


7. Urban Planning

7.1 Urban Planning functions
The Urban Planning Cell under SMC and District Planning committee (DPC) governs the urban planning
for the corporation. As per the West Bengal Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act 2009, Sec. 333,
Draft development plan (DDP) is prepared by the corporation in consultation with the DPC for five years.
In accordance with the DDP, the Annual Development Plan (ADP) is also prepared by the corporation in
consultation with the DPC for a period of one year (Sec. 336). The ADP is sent to the State Government
by the end of October for approval. The ADP should cover detailed development plan for the year. SJDA
also undertakes the planning and development of the wards under the jurisdiction of Jalpaiguri District.
7.2 Status of Land use and CDP
SMC has already prepared DDP for the period of 2008-09 to 2012-13. Presently, SMC is process of
preparation of new City Development Plan and DDP. As per the DDP the total area under SMC is 41.9
Sq. Km. The master plan for Siliguri was prepared by SJDA.
Table 36: Detailed Land-use break-up
S. No. Land-use % of the total land In Sq. Km
1 Residential 50% 20.95
2 Commercial 7% 2.933
3 Industrial 1% 0.419
4 Public & Semi Public 4% 1.676
5 Recreational 4% 1.676
6 Transport & Communication 13% 5.447
7 Open & Unused land 13% 5.447
8 Agriculture & Water Bodies 8% 3.352
Total 100% 41.9
Source: DDP, Siliguri Municipal Corporation
7.3 Status of key reform Implementation
Building by laws for pertaining to SMC boundary, is yet to uploaded on the website. However,
time-bound approval procedures and formalities have been uploaded under citizen charter
The amendments made in the corporation act under Sec. 29C (1), has included the provision of
formation of Poverty Alleviation cell and separate fund allocation for urban poor. Urban Poverty
Cell has already been created by SMC.
The SMC is yet to implementation of rain-water harvesting in the corporation area.


[46]
Updation of information on GIS mapping has not been done. The last GIS survey was conducted
in 2008. However, the GIS mapping was limited to roads, drains and slums. Property listing was
not included in the mapping.
Implementation of e-governance is under process. However, on-line bill payments are not been
initiated.
7.4 Recommendations for improved Urban Planning
The planning of the infrastructural services should be based on the present population
projections. Since census 2011 has not yet been published, the proposal for augmentation of
various projects has been done on the 2001 population projections. The corporation should take
initiatives for updating of the existing database and service delivery maps.
The corporation should define the scope and authority of the administrative wing, emphasizing
on better coordination between inter and intra departments. The corporation should evolve as
the nodal agency for monitoring and coordinating the implementation and development of the
civic services.
The corporation should also mandate the use of computers for proper data management and
maintenance. The corporation should conduct relevant training and capacity building programs
to enable the officers with better skills and knowledge required for performing their roles.


8. Annexure List of References

Census 2011
Draft Development Plan - Siliguri
Accounting Manual Prepared under KUSP
Municipal Act
Budget
Website of Siliguri Municipal Corporation
Website of Siliguri Jalpaigudi Development Authority


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9. Annexure List of Consultations

Table 37: List of contacted person in SMC
S.
No.
Name/ Designation Contact No.
1. Shri Kajal Kanti Saha
2. Shri Manoj, AFC, SMC 09832455875
3. Smt. Jayeeta Dey, Town Planner, SMC
9733889090
[email protected]
4.
Shri Subhodeep Chakraborty, Sub. Asst. Engg, SMC
(Water Supply)
09832017891
5. Shri Subhroto, Urban poor Cell, SMC
6.
Shri Ganesh B hattacharya, Sanitary Insp. And Food
Safety officer, SMC
09434047757
7. Shri. Bishwamay Ghosh, Tax Collector Insp, SMC 09832440548
8. Shri. Raj Kumar Mistry, IHSDP, SMC [email protected]
9. Mr. Paritosh Mridha, Exe. Engg. PWC (Roads)
09836045088
[email protected]
10. Mr. Arabinda Dutta, General Administration, SMC 09474383349

Place/ Location Water Supply office, SMC
Date of Meeting 16
th
May 2013
Participants 1. Shri Subhodeep Chakraborty, Sub. Asst. Engg, SMC (Water Supply), SMC
2. Moumita Roy, CRISIL
Key Discussion
Points
CRISIL team gave an introduction to the Capacity Building for Urban
Development (CBUD) initiative of MoUD, CRISILs appointment for rapid baseline
assessment study of 30 cities
The objective and the study areas to be covered under the study were
discussed briefly with regards to urban service delivery
Shri Subhodeep Chakraborty talked about the current status of water
supply and key service level indicators. He then discussed the planning and
distribution of the present water supply network.
He further discussed the ongoing and planned water supply projects and
their impact on water situation in the city and improvements in SLBs.
He also discussed the challenges faced by the department related to the
water delivery system
He shared all relevant data and reports related to water supply projects

Views were also gathered on transfer of water supply services to SMB as
per 74th CAA and issues of capacity.

Place/ Location Finance & Accounts Department, SMC
Date of Meeting 16
th
May 2013
Participants 1. Shri Subhodeep Chakraborty, Sub. Asst. Engg, SMC (Water Supply), SMC
2. Moumita Roy, CRISIL
Key Discussion
Points
CRISIL team gave an introduction to the Capacity Building for Urban
Development (CBUD) initiative of MoUD, CRISILs appointment for rapid baseline
assessment study of 30 cities
The objective and the study areas to be covered under the study were
discussed briefly with regards to urban service delivery
Shri Subhodeep Chakraborty talked about the current status of water
supply and key service level indicators. He then discussed the planning and
distribution of the present water supply network.
He further discussed the ongoing and planned water supply projects and
their impact on water situation in the city and improvements in SLBs.
He also discussed the challenges faced by the department related to the
water delivery system
He shared all relevant data and reports related to water supply projects
Views were also gathered on transfer of water supply services to SMB as
per 74th CAA and issues of capacity.



[50]
10. Annexure Questionnaire
Questionnaire Municipal Financial Management
Please narrate the various steps adopted for preparation and finalization and monitoring of budget and the
stakeholders involved at each stage
1. The financial planning is done by the Finance & Accounts Dept. under the supervision of MIC.
2. Municipal Accounts Committee is formed annually to supervise the accounting and its mechanism.
3. The committee constitutes of: Chairman- the member of opposition in the Corporation; minimum 3 and
maximum 5 members selected by the Board of Councillors; maximum 2 officials or employees of the
corporation, selected by the Board of Council.
4. The corporation prepares the annual budget estimate based on the income and expenditure incurred previous
year by the corporation.
5. The budgets for public works are not included in the corporation budget.
Please provide the process adopted for approval of works
6. Mayor presents the budget to Board of Councillors for approval by 15
th
February every year.
Please provide key principles/ policies adopted internally or as per municipal act for financial planning at your
ULB
7. The budget is prepared as per West Bengal Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act 2009. All proceedings of
the ULB are as per this Act.
Please highlight if there any issues with respect to manpower in your department
8. There is a shortage of skilled and experienced staffs in various departments to prepare department-wise
budgets.
What has been the level of computerization in financial management and revenue administration?
9. Computerization for all accounting related work is carried out in the Finance & Accounts Departments.

Has the ULB implemented Accounting Reform? if yes, then
Has the balance sheet for latest financial year in place.
10. Yes. However, due to internal issues in the corporation the budget was not approved for the year 2011-12.
Have the balance sheets being audited by an external auditor. Year of commencement of external audit of
financial statements.
11. The audit for the corporation is conducted by external audit agency, appointed by the state government.
12. The audit reports are scrutinized by the leader from the opposition
What are the different types of financial statements generated
Was the system implemented through internal resources or through deployment of agencies externally
Is the accounting module software interconnected with all other modules as per e-governance reform
13. No
Have all the departments being provided training and handholding for use of Double Entry Accounting System
14. No
What were the key challenges faced by ULB in implementing the accounting reform - Asset valuation, change
management (manpower related), technology adoption etc.
15. The technical issues in the accounting program have delayed the overall implementation of the accounting
reform. Further improvement of the program is under process.
16. Lack of manpower
Are the ULB officials able to understand and interpret balance sheet and is the system being utilized in day to
day decision making
17. Only Finance & Accounts department is responsible for all financial decision making along with the elected
members.
What are the key benefits ULB has obtained after migration to double entry accounting system
18. The ULB is still in the process of implementing the reform, with few technical constrains in the accounting
program. And hence, the benefits can be realized only after the thorough implementation of the reform.
What is the basis being adopted for budgeting expenditures for the forthcoming year
19. Budget is prepared on a percentage increment (as per previous budget).
20. Separate budget is earmarked for the urban poor
Is there a monitoring system in place to monitor revenues and budget expenditures on a regular basis
21. No such system.
Does ULB take into account the benefits (outcomes for eg. no. of households connected with water connections
by laying a pipeline etc.) that are created due to investments made in the project?

22. No. Such factors are not looked into in depth.
Is there a separate budgeting practice for urban poor? If yes, what %age of the total budget? Is it earmarked as
a separate budget head or scattered across the budget?
23. Yes. 25%. The budgeted amount is scattered under various pro-poor program heads.
Is the ULB planning to adopt a separate budget head for urban poor? Is the ULB prepared for the same? What
issues does it foresee? What support is required?
24. No
.
What is generally the practice adopted for recording assets. Are the assets recorded centrally or at
departmental level?
25. Assets are recorded centrally by the Accounts department in consultation with the departments. The process is
carried out by the accounts department.
Is the information related to assets updated as and when they are created?
26. No.
Is there a standard framework for recording assets?
27. Yes, a prescribed format is followed.
Do you also use GIS as a system for asset management?
28. No.
Is recording of assets a part of work procedure?
29. Yes. But this is not done on a regular basis.
Is there an audit of asset register?
30. No.
Do you follow pre-audit or post-audit of works
31. Post audit is followed.
32. The audit reports are scrutinized by the leader from the opposition as per the West Bengal Municipal
Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2009.
Has the ULBs finances being rated by any certified Rating Agency. If yes, what was the purpose of this rating?
33. No
Has there any measures being taken up by ULB in case the rating of finances is in poor grade?
34. NA.
What are the key revenue streams? Do you think the ULB is able to realize the revenue potential in the area of
property tax, advertisement revenues, development charges etc.)?
35. The major source of income is Rent and Water Tax.
36. Maximum revenue potential through property tax, advertisements, development charges etc has not been
realized.
Over the years, what are the steps/efforts taken to enhance revenues?
37. The initiatives to enhance the revenue are minimum. Though, new property tax will soon be implemented by the
corporation, coverage of properties under property tax is poor.
What have been the bottlenecks/hindrances in revenue enhancement measures?
38. The corporation doesnt have up-dated information or data on properties and other infrastructural services
under the corporation area.
39. GIS mapping has not been initiated, to increase tax coverage.
40. The West Bengal Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2009 has empowered the elected members to ease
the tax, user charges etc under special circumstances.
41. Lack of citizen service centres for regular collection of revenue
42. Lack of corporation initiative to realize the fee, rent, etc.
Any strategy to arrest leakages
43. No.
Is there a policy on increase in taxation rates in property tax on a regular basis? If yes, is the ULB able to revise
the tax as per schedule? If not what are the bottlenecks?
44. Yes, the rates are to be revised every 5 years. However, the property tax under the corporation area has not
been revised in last 10 years. Revised property tax is under implementation.
Has ULB explored revenues through land development? If yes, please explain the land development models?
45. No.
Has the ULB in past or in present raised funds through Municipal Bonds. If no, is the ULB aware of the
procedure and process of raising funds through Municipal Bonds?
46. No.
Has the ULB forecasted its revenues for the next 5-10 years? Please discuss the same.
47. No, due to lack of skilled manpower and accounting knowledge.
Please suggest what nature of trainings or capacity building measures you think should be useful for your


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department in meeting day to day challenges?
48. Basic computer operations, accounting programs
49. Training on budget preparation, financial planning, project feasibility, contract management, tendering process
50. Strengthening cost recovery mechanism

What control measures are being put in place to manage the various expenditures?
51. No such steps have been planned. The departments plan the expenses based on the fund allocated to them by
the finance & accounts department.
Is there regular monitoring of expenditures? Are there any memos issued in case the expenditures exceed the
planned ones?
52. No
Do you have ring fencing for capital budgets?

Please explain the system of property tax followed by your ULB?
53. The property tax is fixed on the base unit area value as per the West Bengal Municipal Corporation
(Amendment) Act, 2009, by the State Valuation agency
What is the estimated billing potential of property tax? What are the key reasons for not being able to bill and
collect the realize potential?
54. Total billing potential of the property tax cannot be arrived at due to lack of exact no of properties. However, on
20% of the total properties covered under property tax is estimated to be residential property.
No major surveys or GIS mapping has been conducted to estimate the total number of properties and
hence increase the tax coverage.
Hesitation on the owners part to pay tax on a regular basis.
Political interference to ease the tax under special circumstances.
The staff has not been given exposure on best practices in this section in other cities. No training has
been conducted for efficient functioning of the section and to improve collection efficiency.

What is the frequency of conducting surveys to identify un-authorised properties? In past, per year how many
properties have been found out of tax net?
55. Property Tax in the corporation areas has not been revised in last 10 years.
56. Details of increase in properties is as below:

Are there separate officials for assessment, billing, distribution, collection, vigilance and hearing?
57. Yes
What is the frequency of issuing of bills to tax payers?
58. Monthly property tax bills are sent to the owners.
Is the billing system computerized?
1. No.
What is the method of distribution of bills? Is it door to door through your staff or through post/ courier or
outsourced to private agency?
59. The property tax bill is sent to individual property owners and the bills are collected by the ward tax collectors
appointed by the corporation
After issuance of bills, within how much time the users are required to pay without any penalty? Any
schemes/initiatives to enhance property tax revenues? (incentives/penal system)
60. Yes. Penalty is imposed for late payment of taxes, however, details for the same is not fixed and varies on case
specific
61. As majority of the holding are under government and under litigation and only 20% is residential,
schemes/initiatives to enhance property tax revenues is lacking.
If your collection ratios has improved in past, what do you think where the key reasons for improvement?
62. Increased no. of properties registered under new mutation.
Has your ULB undertaken GIS mapping of properties? What is the progress on the same? What are key
hindrances ULB is facing in implementing/ managing this reform?
63. No
What do you think are the training need requirements at different levels in property tax department
64. Use of computers for billing and tax collection
65. Implementation of PPP models for tax collection activities
66. Strengthening of tax collection mechanism
67. Property assessment and identification mechanisms

Questionnaire Urban Service Delivery
Planning
Do you think, there is adequate technical/ managerial capacity with ULB for project planning? What are the gaps
in the system according to you? (Issues could be related to funds, manpower, technology, decision making,
process etc).
1. No.
2. The ULB doesnt have sufficient technical abilities to carry out such functions.
3. Only 1 staffs is appointed under the urban planning cell on contractual basis.
Are you aware of similar projects planned and implemented in other cities? Have you visited any of these cities?
4. The staff lacks awareness, exposure and training.
Does ULB have any plans in place to meet the infrastructure gaps? Was the CDP for your city being prepared; if
yes, do you think the CDP prepared address the project planning related aspects? Any suggestions in this area?
5. The ULB needs to assess the infrastructural gaps, as 1
st
step.
6. CDP for the corporation has already been prepared; however, the effectiveness of the CDP has not been too
substantial.
What support do you envisage in planning of projects? Support from ULB, state and centre
7. The ULB needs to strengthen the planning cell with better coordination with various departments for planning
projects.
8. The ULB needs specific hand-holding for project conceptualization and financial planning and its monitoring and
implementation.
What is generally the process followed from conceiving a project to its implementation? Across the project cycle,
where do you think are the key bottlenecks and according to you, how this can be resolved?
9. Most of the projects are initiated and engineered by the specific departments, based on the feedback of the
councilors from various wards.
10. Other major projects are implemented under various central and state government programs and schemes.
11. Scope for the planning department is very limited.
12. The planning cell needs to be strengthen and trained with better coordination with various departments can
resolve this issue.
What steps have been taken in the past to resolve/reduce these issues?
13. No steps have been taken by the ULB or the State.
While planning of projects do you envisage/ enumerate the improvements in SLB indicators? If no why?
14. SLB of services is done by the corporation.
What is the level of participation with CBOs/SHGs and or NGOs/Civil Society groups in planning the
development works?
15. The participation of such groups in planning development work is negligible except for the slum areas.

Financing
In what manner, ULB has financed its past projects?
16. Most of the projects are funded by the corporation itself, state/ central government or various funding agencies
(USAID)
Has there been any trainings in past on project financing?
17. No.
Implementation
What kind of support is required for project implementation?
18. Technically support- to plan, phase and monitor the projects
19. Financial support
20. Manpower
During implementation of projects under JNNURM/ funded schemes of your state, how frequently the review
meetings are organised to mitigate and resolve the issues?
21. No major projects are implemented under JNNURM.
22. A monthly progress report is sent for the projects under IHSDP
Have the execution team been provided any trainings in the area of project management or use of software for
project management?
23. No.
Are there any issues related to manpower planning, technical capacity of team etc.?
24. yes



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Municipal Service Delivery: With respect to the urban infrastructure services in the ULB such as water,
sanitation, sewerage and drainage, solid waste management, urban transport, street lighting, environment
protection , urban poor settlements, please provide inputs related to
What are the key reasons for poor service levels?
25. The exact number of users are not available with the corporation
26. The infrastructural services planned are insufficient to cater the existing population
27. Lack of manpower and knowledge
28. Low financial sustenance and capability
29. The ULB unable to carry out efficient O&M functions and up-grade the existing systems.
Do you have any operational guidelines for O&M of projects? If yes, are they followed and monitored; if no, do
you think this should be helpful?
30. No information on this
If your ULB has not been able to meet the O&M cost recovery as per reforms -
o What is the plan of action you have devised?
o What according to you are the various areas of curbing expenditure or increasing revenues?
o What according to you are the key hindrances in achieving this reform?
o Are there tariff policies for charging for service delivery? Are these policies in line with the O&M cost
incurred on services?
31. No steps has been taken to improve the cost recovery
32. Implementation of new techniques and equipments and systems may increase the revenue and decrease O&M
costs

Land for the project
Has ULB made reservations for land required for the projects in future?
33. No
Have any of your projects stuck due to land issues?
34. Yes. The approval of new dumping ground is stuck cause of the land issue.
What suggestions you would like to make to ease out the process of land acquisition.
35. Community participation and increase of awareness among the citizens

Service Level Benchmarks (SLB)
Please explain the awareness of the ULB with respect to Service Level Benchmarks (SLB)
36. No information available
Was any survey being done with respect to SLB?
37. No holistic survey was conducted for the SLB.
What is the institutional mechanism put in place to ensure that the data reliability of SLB indicators is
highly reliable?
38. No such mechanism was revealed
Are you aware of Information Systems Improvement Plan (ISIP) and Performance Improvement
Plan (PIP)? Explain preparation and implementation of a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) to
facilitate improvement of performance levels on select service indicators
39. The staffs lack awareness on ISIP and PIP.

Water Supply Services
How do you plan to reduce the non-revenue-water in the system? What measures ULB has taken in
past towards this and what has been the success achieved?
40. The ULB has not initiated any step to reduce NRW
What is ULBs exposure to 24x7 system of water supply? Has there been any training in this area?
41. No
How is the water system managed; do you have water districts? How do you rate the accountability of
the current system of administration of water supply?
42. There are total 10 water zones for 47 wards.
43. PHD & City water Supply department administers the water supply in the city. The accountability of the current
system is very low due to complex structure of the departments
What are the key challenges you consumer interface i.e. in the area of metering, billing and
collection?
44. No metering system
45. There is a lack of collection centres and citizen service centres.
46. There is a general lack of will to pay arrears and timely charges due to low service levels.
What is your exposure to technologies in the treatment area? How do keep yourself update with the

latest cost effective technologies?
47. The staffs exposure to latest technologies is poor due to lack of exposure and relevant trainings.

What key changes you would suggest to improve the service delivery in water supply area in your ULB?
48. introduction to new technologies and practices for better delivery of civic services
49. training and evaluation of staffs on improved civic services delivery practices
50. mapping of infrastructure, specially in the slum areas need to be initiated
51. special training on reduction of NRW, rain water harvesting techniques, sewerage and practices and project
conceptualization, implementation and monitoring
52. installation of metering systems (at present only water supplied to the water treatment plant is metered) for
efficient planning of augmentation requirements

Sewerage Services/ SWM
What is your exposure to technologies in the treatment area? How do keep yourself update with the
latest cost effective technologies?
53. There are no STPs at present
54. The staffs lack exposure and knowledge about new technologies..
What are the key challenges you face in service provisioning in this area?
55. Same as in water supply
JNNURM requires the cities to frame byelaws related to reuse and recycling of waste water, so as to
conserve water resources. Is there any byelaw pertaining to reuse of recycled water?
56. No
JNNURM requires the cities to take sufficient steps towards promoting the use of rain water
harvesting systems in cities by making it mandatory for building permission, with a long term objective
of promoting conservation of water and ensuring sustainability of water resources? Is there any
legislation for making Rainwater Harvesting mandatory in buildings?
57. No
What is the status on reforms in the area of waste management? What are the key hindrances in
implementing these reforms?
58. The waste management of the city is very poor. There are no dust bins in the city, the waste collected is not
treated etc are the key issues in waste management.
59. Lack of awareness, manpower, willingness and funds are the possible hindrances in the reform implementation

Housing and infrastructure for Urban Poor
What are the key challenges in implementing projects for urban poor, especially with respect to
provision of housing and infrastructure?
60. Availability of land
61. Lack of proper information on slums and related maps required to plan
Has the ULB formulated and adopted a comprehensive policy on providing basic services to all urban
poor.
62. No

To what extent, slums have been rehabilitated in your city?
63. No holistic response was received. However, under IHSDP major initiatives are been take for housing and
infrastructure development

Do you have a separate department to handle the issues of urban poor?
64. Yes. U.P.E cell administers the issues of urban poor

Explain the extent of participation by communities of urban poor in the entire range of urban services
and poverty alleviation programmes. Explain the nature of involvement (eg. Roads within slum
clusters - Community contracting) and community mechanism (Entire material + Labour contract
awarded to Slum association.)
65. Many SHGs have been identified or involved to work with towards pro-poor development.
Please provide Citizens Charter formulated by the ULB
66. Formulation of Citizen Charter is under process. The details of the services under citizen charter are already
uploaded on the Website of Siliguri Municipal Corporation.
Whether the Charter lays out service delivery standards to enable consumers to understand what they can
expect from service providers?
67. Only timeline and forms for application within which the service can be accessed is mentioned in the charter.


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What is the current mechanism to record citizens satisfaction levels and their voice in day to day urban
management
68. No such mechanisms are available.
Please provide details of the grievance redressal mechanisms along with precise timeframe (number of days)
within which the service provider / utility are obliged to respond and redress consumer grievances.
69. Most of the operation and maintenance work is done by the ward committee, headed by the Councilor; the
complaints are routed through them to the Borough office and SMC.
70. The role of the corporation in grievance reddressal is insignificant.
71. The monitoring and follow-up of the grievance reddressal is negligible.
Whether there is involvement of consumer organisations, citizen groups, and other stakeholders in the
formulation of the Citizens Charter and setting service standards.
72. No.
Does ULB involve citizens in project planning and obtains feedback on services provided by it? If yes, then
how, please narrate with examples
73. No


Questionnaire Municipal Governance
Please provide the status of various e-governance modules, including inter-connectivity (between departments,
zonal offices etc.) of modules at your ULB and how the entire process was managed?
1. SMC has already initiated the process of implementation of e-governance.
2. The E-governance project in SMC is monitored by CMU- KUSP, funded by DIFD. Presently on Birth & Death
and Trade License has been implemented.
Has the ULB prepared Municipal E-governance Design Document (MEDD) and Business Process
Reengineering (BRP)?
3. No.
Have all the departments being provided training and handholding? Any gaps in the training?
4. The staffs lack training. No formal training was imparted to them on e-governance
5. One person is appointed under the corporation for proving the hand-holding required for the implementation of
e-governance
What are the key challenges you have faced/ facing in implementing e-governance?
6. Lack of data entry operators. Only one data entry operator is present at the municipality.
7. Lack of technical knowledge and willingness amongst the staff.
8. Lack of infrastructure in terms of computers, broadband connectivity, space at the office, etc.
If the e-governance modules are not implemented; is you ULB aware of complete process of implementing the
same. What is the support that ULB require for this? Under what timeframe this could be implemented?

How is the feedback from the users (ULB department officials and citizens) on e-governance services?
9. NA
To what extent citizens use the e-governance services? For eg. in case of out of total no. of tax payers, how
many tax payers pay their bills online?
10. Online bill payment system has not yet operationalised.
What do you think are the key benefits of implementing e-governance system?
11. Increased efficiency, monitoring process and efficient data management.
12. More transparent and citizen friendly system.
What is the Institutional structure (in terms of planning and development) of the ULB . Explain the Jurisdiction of
these agencies Physically and Functionally.
13. The institutional structure of the corporation can be divided into two parts: political or elected member wing and
the administration wing.
14. The decision making power lies with the political wing
15. The implementation and maintenance is done by the administrative wing with PWD
Are there a multitude of agencies undertaking the same kind of functions? Explain, if there are any Overlapping
of policy, regulation and operational roles. Is there an overlap in the responsibilities and activities of public
service agencies? Are their objectives and activities complementary or conflicting? What mechanisms exist for
interagency coordination?
16. Siliguri- Jalpaiguri Development Authority also undertakes similar kind of development projects.
17. The objectives and activities are complimentary to SMC, however, the coordination between the two is lacking.
Are there issues with the existing institutional structure? If yes,
What are the issues/challenges faced (relating to institutional arrangement) for urban service delivery


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18. The elected wing of the corporation governs the entire functioning of the corporation.
19. The role of Administrative wing is limited to engineering work n monitoring and lacks authority and interest in
performing their duties.
20. Lack of technical knowledge, motivation and willingness among the staffs.
How is it impacting the development
21. The accountability of the corporation for the civic services is very poor.
22. Most of the development is haphazard and need based
What could be the possible solutions to the issues mentioned above?
23. Re-defining roles and responsibilities of the staffs at various levels across all departments, along with the
elected members involved in the functioning of the corporation
24. The ULB should be strengthened and evolved as a nodal agency and resource center, with better co-ordination
with the boroughs
Explain the institutional structure at the ULB for Urban Poverty related programmes/schemes/projects
25. The Urban poverty related programmes/schemes/projects are implemented by the UPE cell with assistance of
the planning cell.
26. The engineering and development work is done by the concerned departments in the slum areas
Please provide the details on the Responsibility matrix for Main Urban Service Providers
Please refer to table in the report
Act governing Institutional structure of the ULBs and parastatals
27. West Bengal Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act 2009
Do you feel there are any limitations in the Act?
28. This act has empowered the political wing more than the administrative wing, limiting the role of administrative
wing to engineering work and maintenance.
Please provide the governing/organizational structure (such as political/elected and administrative wings) of the
ULB. Explain the responsibilities and functions of these wings
29. The city is head by the Mayor with Member-in Council, Board members under it.
30. The municipal corporation is divided in 5 administrative zones- Boroughs. Each borough is headed by the
councilor, followed by ward committees.
31. Each department is supervised by a member of MIC.
32. Other than this there are following standing committees:
Finance & resource Mobilization Standing Committee
Solid Waste Management Standing Committee
Water Supply, Public Health and Sanitation Standing Committee
Public Works Standing Committee
Health Education and Urban Poverty Alleviation Standing Committee
33. The administrative wing is headed by the Commissioner, along with secretary.
34. The various departments are: PWD, Project Implementation team, GI, Finance Officer, Review Cell, UPE,
Assessment, Health, Conservancy, Market, Vehicle/ road, Water, electric, Education & Culture
What is the role of state government vis-a-vis ULB operations?
35. The State Government is the nodal approval and funding agency for major projects
Explain the process of Central level schemes by the ULB including urban poverty alleviation

36. The funds for implementation of such projects are routed through the finance & accounts department and
implemented by UPE along with the concerned departments for engineering work
Explain the existing M&E (Monitoring and Evaluation) framework prevalent in the ULB (M&E framework in all
phases of project implementation initiation, implementation, Post implementation)
37. No M&E framework was revealed
Please provide the institutional set up/team structure for M&E (eg. SLSC, SLNA) along with role and
responsibilities.
Are there any gaps in the structure?
Are there any skill gaps in manpower?

Whether MIS reports are generated for the same? If yes, please provide the details
38. No.
Explain the staffing structure under various departments/functions. What are the gaps in the employee
structure? Explain the employee structure wrt capabilities related to
Technical skills
39. Most of the staffs lacks technical skills and knowledge about the latest technologies available
Managerial and Operational
40. The corporation is divided under 47 wards under 5 boroughs headed by the councilors. Poor coordination and
transparency results in poor management and operations
Regulatory
41. The regulatory powers are not very clear
Delegation of Powers
42. Administrative staffs lacks power and authority required for efficient and impactful working
How and to what level the ULB hold its employees responsible for their actions?
43. Due to lack of power and authority with the administrative wing, the accountability of the staffs are very low.
What kind of areas need to be strengthened to match the skills and expertise required to carry out functions of
the Municipal Authority.
Are there any initiatives to enhance their performance? Or what mechanism does the ULB have in
place to support the execution of the specific action plans to enhance their performance
1. No such measures have been taken.
What is the existing practice of awarding performance based incentives to the staff to keep them
motivated to efficiently achieve performance targets? Is it satisfactory?
2. No incentives and recommendations.
Are you planning to adopt/adopted any new HR incentive system? If yes, what system? Have the
employees being explained about the same? What is there response?
3. No response.
Are there conflicts between members at any level? If yes, what kind of conflicts?
4. Yes. Political conflict.
Training Programmes
What kinds of training programmes have been provided to the staff in the past (under each sector and
function)? Has the ULB reaped any benefit from this?
5. Training program is limited to basic computer operations. The impacts are insignificant
What kind of facilities does the ULB have to undertake these training programmes
6. The ULB doesnt have adequate facility to undertake such programs. 2 staffs are appointed on contractual basis
under the IT department, providing the required hand-holding.
What kind of support does the ULB require to carry out these training programmes
7. Infrastructural facility- space, sufficient computer, man-power, hand-holding to initiate and carry on such


[60]
trainings
Information requirement
No. of employees according to age group/qualifications/departments
8. Mentioned above
Sanctioned and vacant positions in the ULB
9. Details are not available
Skill sets outsourced
10. Details are not available
HR policy
11. Not available
Awareness and Exposure
How would you rate the awareness and exposure of the ULB officials wrt best practices adopted in
the sector.
1. Negligible
How would you rate the awareness and exposure of the ULB officials wrt PPP Projects.
2. Negligible
Are there any reforms wrt adopting the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), not filling posts falling
vacant due to retirement etc., and achieving specified milestones in this regard? What are the
milestones achieve till now?
3. NA

Questionnaire Urban Planning
Explain the key economic drivers of the city and its relation with the hinterland and the other major
urban centers.
1. Tourism and trade and business activities
What are the strengths and weaknesses in the citys development? Need an understanding of what
impedes service delivery and management within the existing set-up and what contributes to better
service provision.
2. Strengths: Location of the city- economic hub and transit node for entire north-east; huge scope of
improving the revenue sources, the city is growing
3. Weakness: high political influences, lack of capacity and willingness of the corporation, high growth
rate of the city, lack of strong development framework
Highlight the unique features (in terms of development) of the city that may distinguish it from other
cities
4. The city unique position as economic and business hub and transit node for the north-east of the
country
5. Close proximity of international boundaries- Bhutan, Nepal, China, Bangladesh
Reasons for growth in Population: What factors underlie the growth natural increase, in-migration,
or jurisdictional change? What implication does population growth have on infrastructure
development?
6. The population growth is due to all the above factors- natural growth, migration and increase of the
jurisdiction.
7. Also, being the economic hub of north-east, floating population of the city is high
8. The present infrastructure is insufficient to cater the present population and is not based on
projected population
Is there existence of any database pertaining to household level information of urban poor?
9. Latest information is unavailable
What are the urban planning functions of the ULB? Mention the Specify agency / agencies involved

in planning of urban development and delivery of infrastructure services. What is the role of ULB in
planning in various sectors?
10. The role of Urban planning cell under SMC is limited to monitoring of the projects.
11. PWD, Conservancy department and City Water supply is the implementing and partial planning
agency
12. SJDA is also under takes the planning and implementation of the development work
Under the 74th CA (74th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA74))
What all functions have been transferred to ULBs from State?
13. Urban and town planning, Regulation of land-use and Building regulation, planning of economic &
social development, Public health, Urban poor services, slum improvement, Promotion of cultural,
educational and esthetics, birth and death registration
What is the status of implementation of the following as per the Act
Constitution of MPCs and DPCs.
14. DPC is present.
Master plan preparation
Does ULB has internal capacity to prepare master plan/ development plan
15. No
What has been proposed in a master plan and what has happened on the ground?
16. Proposals of the master plan were not available. However, it was revealed during the discussions
that the implementation of the projects proposed were not satisfactory.
What are the important reasons for poor/slow implementation of master plan?
17. Lack of political willingness and funds
18. Lack of knowledge and capacity

What land use changes have occurred in recent years? What are the characteristics of the
urban land market? What kinds of land use controls are practiced?
19.
Do you have sufficient funds /manpower for Master Plan preparation
20. The corporation doesnt have sufficient man-power for Master Plan preparation. Financial status for
the same was not revealed.
Policies wrt revamping the process of formulation & implementation of land use plans and
management mechanism
21. NA
What is the level of public participation and civic engagement in Master Plan preparation?
22. NA
What are the key initiatives by ULB (such as introduction of short and medium-term, Integrated
Action Planning, Assets inventory for optimum utilization and the increase of the revenue base, new
urban land policy, Upgrading technology, Exploring new options and public-private partnership,
Networking with international and national urban programmes, Mandatory performance management
system and MIS., networking with NGOs CBOs and private sector for planning, management and
maintenance.)
23. The corporation lacks such initiatives due to lack of capacity, knowledge and exposure.
What are the issues in Urban Planning? (eg. Plan Preparation Techniques, Growth of the City,
Spatial Planning vis--vis Development Planning, Land Policy and Management)
24. Unavailability of information and up-dated data related to population, land-use etc.
25. Lack of man-power and capacity.
26. Lack of co-ordination and transparency among inter and intra department
Has the ULB implemented urban planning related reforms- NA
a. Earmarking land for urban poor
b. Streamlining building plan approval system
c. Byelaws on reuse of recycled water
d. Byelaws for rainwater harvesting system

What are issues in implementing the reforms?


[62]
27. Lack of capacity and institutional structure. The decision taking power lies with the elected
members.
28. Lack of awareness and willingness
Urban Poverty
Is there a presence of nodal cell for poverty reduction within the state and ULBs? What are
its functions?
29. Yes. UPE cell administers the urban poverty related projects. Its functions are mentioned above
What are the poverty reduction measures such as MAPP preparation, poverty profiling of
cities
30. NA
What is the status of urban reform wrt Earmarking land for urban poor?
31. Not yet implemented
JNNURM requires the cities to
frame byelaws related to reuse and recycling of waste water, so as to conserve water
resources. Is there any byelaw pertaining to reuse of recycled water?
32. No
take sufficient steps towards promoting the use of rain water harvesting systems in cities by
making it mandatory for building permission, with a long term objective of promoting
conservation of water and ensuring sustainability of water resources? Is there any
legislation for making Rainwater Harvesting mandatory in buildings?
33. No
to undertake steps to computerize the process of registration of land and property, so as to
deliver efficient, reliable, speedy and transparent services to citizens? Explain in detail the
prevailing process of getting a property or land registered? To what extent is the present
system computerized?
34. No
towards earmarking atleast 20-25 % of developed land in all housing projects (both public
and private) for low income families in order to meet the housing needs of both EWS and
LIG categories of population.Is there any legislation regarding mandatory reservation of
certain percentage of land for EWS/LIG in housing projects?
35. Yes. The corporation has already earmarked
Explain in detail the current system for conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes
(for areas coming under Development Authority as well as outside). Which are the agencies involved
and their roles? Which Legislation/s is/are being followed for conversion of agricultural land for non-
agricultural purposes? What attempts have been taken to simplify the procedure of such conversions
in the past? Please mention the possible reasons for delay in the process for conversion of
agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes
36. NA
JNNURM requires cities towards streamlining of the building approval process, with the broad
objective of establishing a simple, transparent and lesser time-consuming process that encourages
development.
Which legislation governs the formulation of Building Byelaws and implementation of the
regulation
37. W.B. Municipal (Building) Rules, 2007
Explain the existing process of building approval
38. Buildings are approved by the building department of SMC.
39. On submission of the building plans and relevant documents as per the act mentioned above
40. Building plan is valid for 3 yrs
What is the extent of use of technology and computers in the process of building approvals
as well as upkeep of records
41. Computers are not used by the department.
possible reasons for delay in the approval process
42. NA

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CRISIL Risk and Infrastructure Solutions Limited (CRIS) has taken due care and caution in preparation of this Report for Ministry of
Urban Development, Government of India. This Report is based on the information / documents provided by Puri Municipality
and/or information available publicly and/or obtained by CRIS from sources, which it considers reliable. CRIS does not guarantee
the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of the information / documents / Report and is not responsible for any errors or
omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of the same. The Report and results stated therein are subject to change. CRIS
especially states that it has no financial liability whatsoever to the Company / users of this Report. This Report is strictly
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