Facts:
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India is on the way to have 69 metropolitan cities by 2025.
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By 2030, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region will be more populous than Australia and, with its GDP at about $230 billion in 2030, its economy will be bigger than that of Thailand or Hong Kong today
Constitutional Provision related to MPC:
Article 243 ZE: Establishment of the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) to prepare a draft development plan focusing on shared resources, investments, infrastructure and environmental conservation for the region as a whole for approval by the state government
Why MPC has failed so far?
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State governments are reluctant to concede power.
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MPC as a supra-municipal authority has limitations. Because it does not have executive powers, staff and budgets.
What is the solution?
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A more democratic approach by providing the MPCs with a full-time secretariat, which includes, staff, budgets and executive powers.
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This body can be the middle layer between the municipal bodies and the state government.
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Housing, transport and police should be in the 12th Schedule. Currently State governments continue to hold these functions. This control provides state governments with unrestrained power over capital-intensive sectors, indirectly enabling them to control cities.
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More financial resources at MPCs disposal
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Ultimately move to a directly elected mayoral system of urban governance like London