The urban development and housing department has set up an 11-member municipal establishment audit commission to improve functioning of the civic bodies.

The commission has been asked to submit its report within six months.

The urban local bodies in the state, including Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), have always been criticised for under-performance and the poor state of affairs, primarily because of severe staff crunch and revenue shortage.

“The commission has been constituted to determine the right structure and staffing of urban local bodies. The structure of urban local bodies has not undergone any change in over 10 years. This coupled with a recruitment ban is hampering work,” a senior department officer said.

The commission will include department joint secretary Arvind Singh, deputy secretary Rajiv Kumar, PMC commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pal, Darbhanga Municipal Corporation commissioner Vinod Narayan Singh, Bodhgaya Nagar Panchayat executive officer Sushil Mishra and KN Sahay Institute of Environment and Urban Development director Yogendra Tripathy.

“The commission will study the reasons for non-performance of functions mandated in BMS Act, 2007 and non-transfer of functions of urban local bodies as per 12th Schedule of the Constitution and will make recommendation for the functions that various levels of these bodies that is municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats must perform,” the official added.

The panel will also define factors to be considered while recommending ideal staffing to perform all functions transferred to urban local bodies.

“Various positions will be re-assigned or re-designated and several redundant positions abolished. They have also been asked to define the staffing norm for different levels of urban local bodies, including identifying the required skills of employees,” the official said.