Assam’s GMC

In Assam, GMC stands for Guwahati Municipal Corporation, the civic body which is mandated to look after the overall development and welfare of Guwahati, the oldest city of the entire Northeast, which also happens to be the capital of the state. Comprising 60 councillors elected by the taxpayer residents of the city, GMC’s official website says that it is “a body responsible for governing, developing and managing Guwahati.” The GMC website also mentions its mission comprising as many as 17 heads, through which it “administers” the city and its citizens. These include the development and maintenance of roads and drains, the development and maintenance of municipal markets, the construction and maintenance of public toilets and e-toilets, the development and allotment of parking slots, the development and maintenance of parks and ponds, and water supply with metered/non-metered connection, to name a few. The achievements, if any, in these heads, however, have not been mentioned on the GMC’s official website. What is most surprising is that the GMC’s official website has not been updated for several years. This is evident from the fact that the figures given for the implementation of certain schemes, like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation), and Swachh Sarveksha, pertain only up to 2017 or 2018. The official GMC website provides a list of 94 locations where there are public toilets. The citizens know how many are functional and how many aren’t. The GMC website also mentions rates of parking fees, according to which a 3-wheeler or 4-wheeler has to pay only Rs 10 for the first two hours and Rs 10 for every subsequent extra hour. Every car owner in the city knows how they are harassed by the parking lot lessees. What is also surprising is that while in reality GMC has sixty councillors, the official GMC website mentions that it comprises 31 wards!