Decentralisation of public service delivery in the Central Himalayas: The myth of community participation

This paper attempts to examine whether decentralisation of decision making and implementation improves efficiency of public service delivery in the mountain and the marginal areas, such as the Central Himalayas, or is efficiency in the sector, at present, best achieved through a centralised top-down planning and management approach? It challenges some of the claims made by the advocates of participatory modes of planning, where the World Bank-sponsored Swajal Project in India (1996–2002) is cited as a case of best practice. The survey based study of the Swajal village communities found that intra-community conflict and interest group politics disrupt and suborn community deliberation, decision making and hamper true representativeness. It explored the politics of community participation, examining the question of true representatives and comprehensive participation of a community. Findings indicate that the traditionally marginalised sections of the village, the women and the backward castes still do not have adequate representation. The communities do not show the resilience and capacity for decision making necessary for the effectiveness as agents in decentralisation. So far, the process of decentralisation in the public service delivery sector, especially in the water sector in the region, has merely created new winners and losers, instead of resulting in substantial political devolution of control to communities.