Transforming Kolkata - Neeta Pokhrel

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and lineage deserves to be rated world class in the quality of life it offers. We begin our humble journey with this ambitious but achievable vision in mind. And we are happy that partners like the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have been helping us reach this vision. Together we have embarked on a large-scale development of the city’s infrastructure as well as strengthened its institutional capacity to serve its citizens better. We have to consolidate the work that has already been completed in sewerage and drainage, water supply, solid waste disposal, roads, management of parks and squares, and augmentation of greenery in the city. In parallel with improving infrastructure, we are working on institutional reforms and strengthening capacity.

      We believe that a city of Kolkata’s size, importance, and complexity deserves a more empowered civic body with a wider ambit of services, which can be made accountable for most of the civic services and amenities that citizens expect in their day-to-day life. Such strengthening of the elected local government would also be in line with the 74th Constitutional Amendment. We want to ensure that the benefits of ADB funding and all other projects and development initiatives reach all strata of society and that progress is inclusive and equitable. Hence, we have put great emphasis on social sector development, including slum improvement and implementation of minority development programs. We do the same to improve the city’s health and hygiene through focused initiatives in vector control and overall improvement in sanitation and cleanliness.

      “We believe that a city of Kolkata’s size, importance, and complexity deserves a more empowered civic body with wider ambit of services, which can be made accountable for most of the civic services and amenities that citizens expect in their day-to-day life.”

       — Firhad Hakim, Mayor of Kolkata

      Our constant endeavor is to ensure that this journey to prosperity and development would not put any additional burden on citizens. We strongly believe that by streamlining and simplifying the tax system, the KMC would ensure better compliance and coverage, so that its overall revenue targets are met without posing additional burdens on individual, complying citizens. We have introduced a modern regime of simplified tax structure that would root out corruption and ensure better compliance.

      We promise to offer a transparent and responsive civic administration, leveraging the latest initiatives in information technology and e-governance. We also promise that all our councillors and civic officials would be in constant contact with citizens, would be accessible, and focused on providing better services to them. We thank ADB and other development partners who have been helping us on this journey to transform Kolkata City over the last 2 decades.

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       FIRHAD HAKIM

      Mayor of Kolkata

      FOREWORD

      The year 2018 marked 20 years of partnership between the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). The release of this publication reflects the journey and the accomplishments over the last 2 decades of this partnership to make Kolkata a more livable city.

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      I am pleased to see the progress Kolkata City has made over the past 2 decades. I was fortunate to be part of this 2-decade journey from the outset. My own engagement with the city started in 1998. I was the project officer for a technical assistance grant to support the improvement in the accounting systems of the KMC. Two decades, five loans, and four grants later, we have come a long way to achieving the common plans of the KMC and ADB for the city.

      A number of factors are responsible for this success. First, there is the long-term engagement. Making a city more livable, thus more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient, requires sustained commitment and planning from the city, and critical levels of investments. Second, there is the establishment of a strong multidisciplinary project management unit. Executing the works has numerous challenges since urban infrastructure projects are multidimensional and need strong multidisciplinary teams to implement them. It takes time to build such teams and their capacities, even if the city and its partners are ready to invest large sums. Third, there is strong ownership among all stakeholders. While planning is underway, works must continue to ensure that basic needs are met. The efforts must be led and sustained by the city’s leadership and supported by the residents themselves. Without the backing of political leadership and solid institutions and implementation arrangements, efforts can fizzle out before they have a chance to demonstrate success. Fourth, there is the tenacity to continue, notwithstanding challenges and temporary setbacks. This matrix of necessary institutions with the right people and processes takes time to build and effort to sustain. Projects get criticized for slow start-up, but tenacity while implementing such projects is important. Kolkata has, indeed, tenaciously carried forward and overcome these challenges over the years. We do not have same degree of success everywhere as we have seen in Kolkata, where the leadership is committed to do everything to make the projects succeed.

      Much has been achieved for the city—doubling the coverage of sewerage and drainage, a climate change resilient sewerage and drainage masterplan, 24/7 water supply services coming soon to three large areas of the city and general optimization of the water services, Kolkata’s first flood forecasting and early warning system, and a comprehensive masterplan for solid waste management. Gaps remain and we still have a long way to go. We are committed to continue supporting the city on its journey to becoming more livable.

      I sincerely appreciate the officials of the Economic Affairs Department of the Government of India, those in the Government of West Bengal and in particular, the mayor of Kolkata, the commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and the project management unit of the Kolkata Environmental Improvement Investment Program (KEIIP) for being at the helm to implement the project and contribute to this publication.

      “We are committed to continue supporting the city on its journey to becoming more livable.”

       —Hun Kim, Director General South Asia Department

      Besides the core team led by Neeta Pokhrel, principal urban development specialist, this publication benefited from contributions of several persons, including the past project officers of ADB, current and past officials of KEIIP, project beneficiaries, and other development partners supporting the KMC. I thank each and every one of them.

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       HUN KIM

      Director General

      South Asia Department

      Asian Development Bank

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      EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

      Twenty years into the first ADB–supported financing to revitalize Kolkata, this publication looks at the journey taken by the partnership of ADB and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) since 1998 to transform Kolkata into a more livable city.

      ADB started its partnership with the KMC in 1998, when it approved two technical assistance grants to strengthen the corporation’s accounting system and to prepare ADB’s first urban sector loan to the KMC, the Kolkata Environmental Improvement Project (KEIP). KEIP was approved in 2000. The KMC has come a long way since then and is currently implementing ADB’s fifth loan to improve the city’s urban services, livability, inclusiveness, and resilience. This book traverses that journey and tracks the outcomes achieved to date and the directions expected in future.

      Transforming a city the size of Kolkata takes commitment spanning decades and multiple projects.

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      CHANGE

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