A Report Card on the N’Eliya MC’s performance

Disna MUDALIGE

The CRC has been prepared based on a sample survey of the actual users of the services rendered by the MC. The Asia Foundation in collaboration with the Colombo University Social Policy Analysis and Research Centre (SPARC) and with expertise drawn from BRAC University and Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore, India, assisted the Nuwara Eliya MC to carry out the initial survey of the CRC. The findings of the survey were released at a public presentation at the New Town Hall in Nuwara Eliya on Monday.

Mayor Mahinda Dodampe Gamage presenting his future plans for the Nuwara Eliya MC

Dr Gopakumar Thampi announcing the survey findings

Affiliated Network for Social Accountability - South Asia Region Chief Operating Officer Dr Gopakumar Thampi presenting the findings said, residents in Nuwara Eliya MC area have given a combined satisfaction score of 57 out of 100, taking all the basic services together. Dr Thampi who pioneered the CRC in Bangalore, India in 1993, observed that this score is very high compared with other South Asian countries.

The CRC has looked into five basic general services namely sewerage, solid waste management, street lights, roadways and civic amenities (cemeteries, maternity clinics, town hall, playgrounds, children’s parks, sports facilities, vehicle parking, community water schemes, public toilets and community centres) based on a carefully selected sample of 450 households representing all 14 Grama Niladari Divisions and ethnic communities.

A CRC on public services is not just one more opinion poll, but it reflects the actual experiences of people with a wide range of public services.

According to the results of the survey, overall satisfaction scores are on the higher side for solid waste management and key civic amenities like maternity clinics, recreational infrastructure and community water supply schemes. However, services like sewerage, street lighting, and maintenance of access roads and by-lanes need urgent improvements.

Holding a mirror to local governance

It has also included the level of satisfaction on two special services of the MC, namely issuance of trade licenses and building permits. Hundred respondents who obtained the service were interviewed for each of the two categories. The two special services have been rated quite high by the respondents.

A major finding from the CRC survey is that there is a marked and worrying fall in service levels in areas that are far off from the centre of the town, said Dr Thampi. “Most of the poor residents in Nuwara Eliya reside in these peripheral spaces. Therefore, this is a key issue for immediate redress as the poor depend heavily on public services”, he remarked.

The other big challenge is the low ratings given for problem redress mechanisms and processes. According to the survey outcomes, the rate of response given on the part of the MC on complaints made by the public is not satisfactory.

Nuwara Eliya Mayor Mahinda Dodampe Gamage, who has enthusiastically and willingly embraced the novel mechanism, said the CRC has helped to draw his attention to the most needy aspects and GN divisions. He observed it would help him to concentrate more on the key constraints that the poor and the underserved face in accessing public services.

He stated his aim is to improve public satisfaction in all its services to pass 70 percent within his tenure as the mayor. He noted the CRC would be a guiding light for his work, adding that future programmes would encompass on the findings of the CRC survey. He was confident Nuwara Eliya, which is a renowned tourist attraction with about 300,000 local and foreign tourists visiting the city each month, will be improved to maintain high standards in public services to consolidate its entitlement as the best MC in Sri Lanka.

Nuwara Eliya MC keeping in line with its motto ‘Let the good of the people be the supreme law’, has made a historical move with the adoption of CRC mechanism, which will in turn help to improve its efficiency and performances. It will be exemplary for the rest of local government institutions in Sri Lanka too. Being the smallest unit of the public administration, local government bodies associate with the public closer and their policies and decisions matter a lot for them. The local government authorities have the capacity to brighten or worsen the lives of the people. The CRC will help to understand and harness this power on the right direction.

Institutionalizing the CRC

The CRC concept has now been implemented in over 15 countries and widely been accepted all over the world as a social accountability tool since its inception in 1993. It was based on the concept of ‘school report card’ which is produced with the genuine intention to help improvement in areas where necessary.

Colombo University SPARC Director Prof Siri Hettige expressed that accountability must be accepted as an integral part of good governance, adding that the CRC concept is a viable option towards this end. He observed that the CRC concept could be applied broader to cover vital public services in the country, to make sure the public authorities are transparent, accountable and rid of corruption. The unreserved support of Asia Foundation Senior Technical Officer on Social Accountability and Citizen Participation Sisira Kumarasiri and Colombo University SPARC Project Consultant Asitha Punchihewa towards a steady progress in the CRC exercise is commendable.