Bengals Howrah Municipal Corporation bifurcated month before proposed poll date
Kolkata Nov 17 PTI The West Bengal assembly on Wednesday amended the Howrah Municipal Corporation HMC Act to separate Bally Municipality which was a part of the corporation since 2015A Bill in this regard was tabled and passed in the House during the day the last day of the winter session around a month before the proposed date of election to HMC December 19Minister of State for Urban and Municipal Affairs Chandrima Bhattacharya said the idea behind the bifurcation is better development of Bally area and to provide improved service to peopleOpposition BJP however claimed that Bally Municipality was separated from HMC because of political reasonsState Election Commission officials recently said the panel has accepted the West Bengal governments proposal to hold the polling to HMC and Kolkata Municipal Corporation on December 19 However the notification is yet to be issuedThe BJP has moved the Calcutta High Court with a prayer that election to all municipal bodies where it is due be held together on a single day The case is now pendingThe five-year term of elected representatives who run West Bengals 112 municipalities and corporations ended in the last two years but elections could not be held due to the Covid-19 pandemic These civic bodies are being run by administrators appointed by the state governmentOn November 12 the assembly passed a resolution to carve out the area under Bally Municipality in Howrah district from the jurisdiction of HMCThe number of councillors of HMC will come down to 50 from 66 following the bifurcationHowrah Municipality was established in 1862 and it was upgraded to the status of a municipal corporation in 1984 Bally Municipality which was formed in 1883 was merged with HMC on June 26 2015 PTI dc NN NN
Kolkata Nov 17 PTI The West Bengal assembly on Wednesday amended the Howrah Municipal Corporation HMC Act to separate Bally Municipality which was a part of the corporation since 2015A Bill in this regard was tabled and passed in the House during the day the last day of the winter session around a month before the proposed date of election to HMC December 19Minister of State for Urban and Municipal Affairs Chandrima Bhattacharya said the idea behind the bifurcation is better development of Bally area and to provide improved service to peopleOpposition BJP however claimed that Bally Municipality was separated from HMC because of political reasonsState Election Commission officials recently said the panel has accepted the West Bengal governments proposal to hold the polling to HMC and Kolkata Municipal Corporation on December 19 However the notification is yet to be issuedThe BJP has moved the Calcutta High Court with a prayer that election to all municipal bodies where it is due be held together on a single day The case is now pendingThe five-year term of elected representatives who run West Bengals 112 municipalities and corporations ended in the last two years but elections could not be held due to the Covid-19 pandemic These civic bodies are being run by administrators appointed by the state governmentOn November 12 the assembly passed a resolution to carve out the area under Bally Municipality in Howrah district from the jurisdiction of HMCThe number of councillors of HMC will come down to 50 from 66 following the bifurcationHowrah Municipality was established in 1862 and it was upgraded to the status of a municipal corporation in 1984 Bally Municipality which was formed in 1883 was merged with HMC on June 26 2015 PTI dc NN NN
