The profusion of NGOs in Vadodara can be traced back to the merger of the royal estate of Baroda with the Indian union. The boom in industrialisation and urbanisation in the 1960s saw a simultaneous spurt in voluntary efforts, attracting the best minds and resources.

Combined with their unparalleled commitment to their diverse causes, these organisations had it in their power to transform, or at least arrest, the downslide of the city. Unfortunately, it was another chance lost.

According to United Way director Girdhar Vaswani, professional involvement brought respectability to NGO efforts in the 1970s; the next decade saw them consolidating their arenas. ``But from 1990, the endeavour began fading. The problems of the city are complex, but the NGOs are not getting the helicopter view of the situation; they are working as islands, though we need a consulted partnership'', says he.

Apart from isolation, a waning conscientiousness seems to have distanced the cause and the beneficiary from the organisations. The onus for this appears to lie mostly with the trustees. ``A thin line divides the institute trustee from the corrupt autocrat today'', says the managing trustee of a prominent NGO on condition of anonymity.

``It is a well-concealed fact that not even half of the government funds we get is spent wisely. How many trustees bother to even visit their institutions, let alone check the annual income and expenditure?'' he asks.

Few would argue that a degree of indolence has crept into the city's voluntary organisations. But two factors integral to NGOs -- advocacy and activism -- are conspicuous by their absence.

Says Campaign Against Child Labour state convener S Srinivasan, ``If one has to change anything, one has to become `political'. After all, this is a battle between unequals. The need to improve is less relevant today than the need to stop an injustice forever. We have abundant social reformers here but few transformers actually working at the roots''.

To some extent, the NGOs' effectiveness has been hindered by the absence of a ``realistic'' funding procedure. Says a managing trustee, ``Most of the voluntary bodies here survive with the assistance of funding agencies but they are not growing. That is because funds are allotted without considering the institution's actual needs. Expenditure also goes unchecked''.

True, performances have been notched up. But only in traditional areas like health, disability, non-formal education and community service. ``There is so much more to do,'' says Srinivasan, adding that an office-based and community-based strategy had to be evolved to increase public participation.

``The public sector units show little inclination towards social activities. Even the academia here seems nonchalant. M S University offers a Master's course in social work, but few students are actually involved with the voluntary scene here except for their brief internships,'' he says.

Vaswani looks forward to a period of coordinated efforts from the university, the government and the industry and the formation of larger organisations equipped to deal with the problems of society as it is. ``The situation has reached a critical stage and only the future will decide the credibility of NGOs,'' he says.