June 12, 2014
Decentralisation of governance: 22 new municipalities to come up in Bengal
After assuming power in 2011, the vision ofWB CM Ms. Mamata Banerjee was to decentralise governance. In line with thevision, the West Bengal Government is in the process of setting up 22 newmunicipalities in the state.
The new municipalities will come up atTehatta, Chanchal, Canning, Falakata, Kakdwip, Belda, Khatra, Gazole,Buniyadpur, Bally West, Andul, Domjur, Bagnan, Bakshirhat, Thakurnagar, Amta,Kolaghat-Mecheda, Amtala, Domkal, Tarapith and Mollarpur. In addition to this,discussion is currently going on to set up the 22nd municipality at Maynaguri.
The Municipal Affairs Minister, FirhadHakim, said that this would be done to decentralise administration throughlocal bodies and speed up the pace of development programmes across the state.
Mr Hakim said that the state government hadalready approved constitution of four new municipal corporations in thedistricts of North and South 24-Parganas.
The government also sanctioned inclusion ofa few municipalities and adjoining areas into three existing municipalcorporations.
Amunicipal corporation with a mega-city population of at least ten lakh wouldhelp the state government get funds from various sources including centralschemes for effective local administration.
On May 26, Chief Minister Ms. MamataBanerjee after a cabinet meeting had referred to the creation of four newmunicipal corporations.
