Traditionally planning has been an essentially technical exercise far removed from the people for whom plans are made. Such planning often does not reflect local reality, needs and development priorities. Participatory Planning is different from traditional planning in that it envisages the participation of people as stakeholders in the planning process. It is seen as an important tool for decentralisation and effective implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act. The recent thrust of the Government of India to upgrade urban infrastructure and basic services through a comprehensive scheme – Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission by developing City Development Plans (CDPs) through a community consultative process is a step forward in endorsing and recognising the participatory method of urban planning as a precursor to any sustainable city development strategy.

PRIA has carried out participatory urban planning by :
(a) Developing a vision statement for the city through consultations – the vision statement to guide the preparation of the zoning plan and its implementation
(b) Identifying  a set of projects for implementation through a structured consultation process
(c) Preparing a phasing plan for these projects with municipal stakeholders
(d) Integrate these projects into the municipal budget , to make them financially viable
(e) Prepare area specific urban design guidelines for specific areas – slums, inner city, heritage precincts etc.
(f) Demarcating areas to be developed as part of Town Development Strategy for the next 5, 10 and 20 years based on people's consensus and needs
(g) Building capacity of the ULB, and creating a process to review the plan every year and making  appropriate modifications if required
(h) Ensuring  that the informal sector and the marginalised are a part of the planning process

Municipalities are responsible for carrying out Solid Waste Management (SWM) with their own funds, human resources and capacities. However, in most small and medium towns, the municipalities lack institutional arrangements, technical, financial and information resources to improve the status of solid waste management. PRIA has undertaken preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) on solid waste management in towns like Jhunjhunu and Karauli in Rajasthan, Gopeshwar in Uttarakhand, and Janjgir in Chhattisgarh. The broad methodology for DPR preparation is as follows:

(a) Data collection from secondary sources on present status of SWM in the town.
(b) Collection of ward-wise primary data for assessing quantum of waste generation and proposals for waste collection methods. Cost estimates for various equipments used for SWM are also obtained.
(c) Extensive discussions with Municipal Officials, Councillors and citizens as stakeholders to familiarise the concepts proposed and to obtain acceptance for the same.
(d) Use of print and visual media support for awareness generation among people and to invite their suggestions and support.
(e) Extrapolation of technical information as well as inputs from primary surveys and citizens' consultations on digitised base maps of the city to arrive at the final SWM plan.

Devolution is the transfer of responsibility and accountability from the higher tiers of governments (central and state) to the local governments. More specifically, it involves de juré as well as de facto transfer of functional responsibilities to the municipal governments along with the transfer of adequate funds and functionaries to enable municipalities to carry out these functions. In India the process came into focus with the enactment of the 73rd and 74th Amendments which mandated for devolution of responsibilities to Panchayati Raj Institutions and municipalities in rural and urban areas respectively. 

Devolution is necessary to enable local governance institutions to function as truly transparent, accountable and responsible units of self-governance. This can be effected only when they have a well-defined functional domain in which they are free to take decisions as per the  local needs and demands. That way citizens will also be able to participate more effectively in the  governance to ensure that the city government is actually functioning as per the  priorities defined by them. Thus adequate devolution is necessary to enable democracy at the grassroots level. 

The current scenario in India's cities indicates that multiple issues plagues decentralised urban governance. The issues are as follows:

(a) Lack of clarity between state and local functional domains leading to overlapping of functions;
(b) Encroachment of the local functional domain by parastatal structures such as State Water Supply and Sewerage Boards, Public Works Departments and Public Health Engineering Departments;
(c) Poor fiscal health of municipalities due to poor revenue realisation and state control over tax sources and rates;
(d) Lack of technical capacity and orientation at the local level towards developmental works;
(e) Ineffective devolution of welfare and planning functions with municipal governments having a negligible role in local level planning and welfare schemes;
(f) Weak role of municipal elected bodies in the  city management.

(a) Ensure health and hygiene – this includes cleaning of streets, sewers, removing filth and rubbish and public vaccination
(b) Enforce some rules for all round protection of citizens- regulating offensive trades, removing dangerous buildings, obstructions and projections on streets, regulating burial grounds, disposal of dead animals, stray animals, cattle, etc.
(c) Provide fire protection, street lights, voluntary protection force
(d) Develop public streets, public conveniences, markets, drains, sewers, tanks, wells etc.
(e) Provide for birth and death registration, and promote family welfare

Also, in some cases
(a) Develop and maintain parks and gardens, libraries, museums, asylums, halls and other public places
(b) Undertake social welfare measures like housing for the poor, promotion of public health and infant welfare, contributing to public welfare funds, establishing labor welfare centers and other measures for its employees
(c) Conduct a census and encourage vital statistics coverage
(d) Maintain sewage on private premises, setups for sewage disposal
(e) Entertainment and recreation like providing music to people
(f) Organise public functions, setting up shops and stalls, holding fairs and exhibitions, supply of milk
(g) Establish and maintain hospitals and dispensaries, maternity centers and child clinics, maintenance of ambulance service, establishing primary schools and orphanages etc.

Functions added to incorporate the  74th Constitutional Amendment Act provisions
(a) Planning for economic and social development;
(b) Performance of functions as entrusted by the state government including matters relating to the 12th Schedule of  the Constitution of India;
(c) Any other matter not specified in the Act but likely to promote education, public health, safety, convenience or economic betterment of the masses.

(I) Tax
     (a) Property tax

(II) Non-Tax

     (a) Rent from shops
     (b) Building sanction fees
     (c) Fees for duplicate copies
     (d) Hoarding fees
     (e) Birth and Death Registration fees
     (f) Rickshaw and thela fees
     (g) Application fees
     (h) Fees for bye-laws
     (i) Road cutting charges
     (j) Interest on investments
     (k) Profit on sale of assets
     (l) Income from sale of skeleton
     (m) Income from Dispensary
     (n) Premium on Lease of Land
     (o) Sale of skin of dead animals
     (p) License for food selling units
     (q) Fees from slaughter house
     (r) Tender for fisheries
     (s) Preparation of forms and other documents relating to bye-law

In addition there are other sources

     (a) Money given by the  State Government to meet running expenses (wages and salaries, office expenses, maintaining and daily running of civic services)
     (b) Money from Sale of Assets (e.g. land buildings etc)
     (c) Money from the  Central and State Governments for specified development work (to build something new)

The Municipality's uses the money for: 
(a) Paying salaries to its employees 
(b) Running its offices 
(c) Doing its day to day duties (for example street sweeping, maintaining streetlights, collecting and disposing garbage) 
(d) Building new constructions or buying new things for the betterment of the town (for example new roads, new sewer lines, new streetlights, new garbage bins or garbage transporting vehicles.

(a) Pay their taxes and user charges regularly, honestly and willingly, and make their neighbours do the same. It will make a BIG difference
(b) And, with help from ward councilors and social workers, individually, or in a group, meet their ward councillor for discussion. If he does not cooperate, not to  vote for him next time
(c) Tell the officials on what items they want their municipality to spend money , given the present state of services and what they feel as their most urgent need . Give suggestions on how they can get more money.
(d) Keep a tab on their income and spending, create pressure on the Municipal Council to write their accounts properly, in a way that all citizens can clearly understand.  The Government's accounts are basically the same.
(e) In case of irregularities, raise concern
(f) Ask about the staffing pattern. Create pressure for more staff that directly serves citizens' needs, and less on redundant administrative/ bureaucratic/clerical staff.
(g) See that the Municipal Council collects taxes properly from ALL tax- payers.