Performance Evaluation of Town Panchayats with Reference to Public Services in Virudhunagar District
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Journal of Management (JOM) Volume 5, Issue 3, May–June 2018, pp. 117–122, Article ID: JOM_05_03_014 Available online at http://www.iaeme.com/jom/issues.asp?JType=JOM&VType=5&IType=3 ISSN Print: 2347-3940 and ISSN Online: 2347-3959 © IAEME Publication PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF TOWN PANCHAYATS WITH REFERENCE TO PUBLIC SERVICES IN VIRUDHUNAGAR DISTRICT T. Kalarani Research Scholar, Department of Commerce Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, India Dr. V.M. Selvaraj Associate Professor, Department of Commerce, Sri KGS Arts College, Srivaikuntam, Tamilnadu, India ABSTRACT Town Panchayat is one of the forms of local self-government in Tamil Nadu, India. The aim of the town Panchayat is to satisfy local needs of the residents in a balanced and coordinated manner. Increased responsibilities coupled by environmental, economic, administrative, technological and sociopolitical factors have brought out the gap in the income and expenditure ratio. Nevertheless, factors such as decline in fiscal dependence on higher levels, increase in own tax sources of town panchayats in general, are indicators of improves fiscal health. This study opens up further avenues of research in the context of an inter-state comparisons of performance of town panchayats so as to understand the policy implications of other state governments. Another matter of concern is mounting tax arrears. Therefore town panchayat must have a special drive to collect arrear tax that would make several public services adequate. Town panchayat is one of the forms of local self-government in Tamil Nadu, India. The aim of the town panchayat is to satisfy local needs of the residents in a balanced and coordinated manner. The objective is to satisfy the needs with the available resources in such a way as to secure maximum economic and social welfare. newline The functions of the town panchayats consist of tax collection, building regulations, health and hygiene, infrastructure facilities and issue of birth and death certificates, construction and maintenance of local roads, streetlight and provision of water supply. For the effective discharge of these functions they need adequate finance and efficient management. But the local government especially town panchayats are not in a position to provide sufficient funds for various projects due to its inability to enhance tax rates, omission of taxes and fees, ineffective tax collection system and the inability to control expenditure. As a transitional area, the town panchayats faced the problem of lower revenue and higher demand for services resulting in the widening of gap between revenue and expenditure. Most of the town panchayats struggle to bridge this imbalance. In this context, it is proposed to undertake a research on town panchayats mainly to identify the causes for such imbalance in individual town panchayats and of various divisions and grades and to offer suggestions. This research is confined to study http://www.iaeme.com/JOM/index.asp 117 [email protected] T. Kalarani and Dr. V.M. Selvaraj the performance evaluation of town panchayats with reference to public services in Virudhunagar district. There are three grades of Town Panchayats in Virudhunagar district. They are the Selection Grade, the Grade I and the Grade II. Out of 9 town panchayats of the district, Seithur, Watrap are classified as Selection Grade town panchayats. Mamsapuram, Cheitiyarpatti, Sundarapandiam, Kariayapatti are Grade I town panchayats. S.Kodikulam, V.Pudupatti, Mallankinaru is Grade II town panchayats. 540 households were selected from all the three grades of town panchayat area under two revenue divisions of Virudhunagar district for this study. The description of sample households and the evaluation of various services provided by town Panchayats have been discussed. Town panchayats raise huge sums of money as own revenue, besides getting enormous amount of assigned revenue, grants-in-aid and loans which are spent on various heads of capital and revenue works. Though the overall revenue position of town panchayats has been improving steadily over time, the demand for better civic facilities also escalates constantly. But to the greatest dismay of the residents, the standard of municipal service is not forthcoming. Hence the researcher is under an obligation to study whether such expenditure is justified by the public. It is deemed to be prudent to obtain the opinion of the residents who are the best appraisers to evaluate their satisfaction level on capital and revenue works of town panchayats. An interview schedule was used to get the opinion of the residents on the performance of town panchayats. Keywords: local self-government, sociopolitical factors Cite this Article: T. Kalarani and Dr. V.M. Selvaraj, Performance Evaluation of Town Panchayats with Reference To Public Services In Virudhunagar District. Journal of Management, 5(3), 2018, pp. 117–122. http://www.iaeme.com/jom/issues.asp?JType=JOM&VType=5&IType=3 1. SERVICES OF TOWN PANCHAYATS 1.1. Public Services Many Urban Local Bodies were under suspension, supersession and dissolved for a long duration. As a result, the functioning of Local Self Government (LSG) in terms of public utility services was unsatisfactory. There was also the absence of people’s representatives in the administration system.. Aureliano Fernandes analysed Aggrandiser Government and Local Government and informs that Aggrandiser Government in most states continues to hold on to most powers, even as they have been formally devolved to local government through conformity legislations. He says local government is able to provide good motorable roads, implement water supply, electricity or social welfare schemes or even impound stray cattle. He concluded that if LSG has to fulfill its foundational tenets of empowering the community then there is need to transcend the thinking that devolution of powers will alone ensure governance at local level. To fulfil a ‘Social Contract’ with an inclusive participatory, planning and associationalism are essential methodologies to transform India. A scheme to create Model Towns in the next four years was announced by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister on 19th October 2005. The scheme envisages ten identified basic amenities for all villages and towns by 2009. This includes the provision of houses, water and http://www.iaeme.com/JOM/index.asp 118 [email protected] Performance Evaluation of Town Panchayats with Reference To Public Services In Virudhunagar District power connections, and wet latrines besides nutrition and primary education to children, link roads and sanitation facilities for each settlement and pension for the elderly. The central Government is planning to launch a new scheme to improve green urban transport. Named as Green Urban Transport Scheme (GUTS), the scheme aims to develop and improve climate friendly transport system in urban areas across the country. 2. HEALTH AND SANITATION Kousalya has made a study on Coimbatore Municipality with special reference to health and sanitary services from 1966 to 1981. She has shown that expenditure on health and sanitary services have been increasing during the study period. Dharmendra Pratap Yadav stressed the need to relook at the current strategy envisaged to achieve sanitation facilities to all. Well designed, user friendly and clean dry toilets without producing smell, is the only solution to achieve the millennium goals of sanitation. 2.1. Waste Management The Solid Waste Management (SWM) scenario in India presents, by and large a gloomy picture argued by Mazumdar. Reliable data on detailed techno-economic aspects and socio-cultural response to the urgency for change, which are so essential for appropriate planning, is scanty, Public participation is lukewarm. There are however certain inherent good points, such as low per capita waste generation, absence of difficult and complicated waste material, and presence of a large non-formal sector engaged in waste recycling, which should be highlighted and taken advantage of Positive intervention from governmental Organizations, resident associations, and other action groups had set forth a chain of decentralized activities which seem to hold great promise in the area of primary collection, segregation at source, recycling. 2.2. Profile of Virudhunagar District Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu was purposively selected as the universe for this study. Through simple convenient random sampling technique, 540 respondents from all the 9 town panchayats were selected. Primary data was collected from the sample respondents with the help of a comprehensive pre-tested enquiry schedule through personal interview method. The district of Virudhunagar is bounded by Sivagangai district and Madurai district on the north, Tirunelveli district to the south and Ramanathapuram District on east and Kerala State to the west and Theni district to the northwest. The total area of this district is 4,288km2 and Virudhunagar District is an administrative district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Viudhunagar is the district headquarters. There are 7 municipalities, 11 Panchayat Unions, 9 Town Panchayats, 450 Village Panchayats, 2 Revenue Firkas and 600 Revenue Villages in this district. For the purpose of election, this district is divided into seven Assembly constituencies namely Rajapalayam, Srivilliputhur, Sattur, Sivakasi, Virudhunagar, Aruppukkottai, Tiruchuli. 3. DESCRIPTION OF SAMPLE HOUSEHOLDS An attempt was made to examine the socio-economic characteristics like the