The capacity building and orientation programme for the elected councilors of DMC and CTC was held at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur on November 12. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 12
A one-day capacity building and orientation programme for elected councilors and supervisorial staffs of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of Dimapur and Chümoukedima was held at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur on November 12.
In all, six Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) and 14 Chümoukedima Town Council (CTC) councilors were in attendance conducted by SMEC International Pty Ltd as part of the Project Readiness Financing (PRF) facility.
The initiative is being undertaken by the Directorate of Urban Development, Nagaland government as part of the Nagaland Urban Infrastructure Development project through funding provided by the Asian Development Bank.
According to Rajib Das, team leader of SMEC International, Project Design and Management Consultant (PDMC), the capacity building training for the councilors is to make sure that they are equipped with the right skills and knowledge needed when undertaking urban projects in their wards. Also, to provide an overview of policy and regulatory framework as mentioned in the 74th Amendment Act and the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2003.
Similar training programmes are scheduled to be conducted across 8 districts of the State where urban and town council bodies exist.
Das mentioned that among the existing challenges currently faced by the ULBs was lack of coordination and communication with the different departments. This include in areas such as water supply, electricity, sanitation, roads and drainage system. As such, the idea of capacity building is also to identify these gaps and bring synchronization in the work flow, he said.
In addition, he stated that revenue generation needs to be at the forefront of concern for the ULBs so as to make them self-sustainable. One innovative method would be to introducing parking tax which would not only generate revenue but also de-congest roads in Nagaland. Solid-waste management would be another option wherein the recycled wastes could be turned into fuel or other products, he noted.
During the training, the councilors were provided with a comprehensive overview of their roles and responsibilities; resource mobilization and framework of urban governance in India and Nagaland, by Bimal Jha, Institutional expert.
