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Chapter 22 loCal self-goverNmeNt

iN UrbaN areas

Urban area includes small towns, cities and big cities. Businessmen, office workers, officials,
shopkeepers, professionals like doctors and lawyers etc, inhabit urban areas. Their needs

and lifestyles are quite different from those of villagers. They need the services like
garbage collection, street lighting, water and electricity supply, hospitals, schools for their
children, etc. The question arises who provides them these services. The answer is local
self-government.

The local self-government in a small town having a population of 10,000 to 20,000, is
called Town Area Committee. In a city, it is called Municipality. In big cities, it is called
Municipal Corporation.

One thing is common to all the three bodies that they look after the local needs of the
people of their areas.

In this chapter, we shall study only Municipal Committee and Municipal Corporation.

comPosition of the municiPal corPoration

The Municipal Corporation are established in cities having a population above two millions,
for the welfare of the city community. Big cities of India like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai,
Bengaluru, Vadodara, Agra, etc have Municipal Corporations. In some cities, the Municipal
Corporation is also known as Mahanagar Nigam or Mahanagar Palika. Municipal Corporations
are elected bodies. The elections are held after every four or five years. All adult persons
whose names are recorded in the list of voters, have a right to vote. Seats are also reserved
for the scheduled castes. There are some Aldermen. After the election of the councillors is

over, the election of Aldermen, whose number is predetermined is held and the Mayor and
Deputy Mayors are also elected by the Councillors on the basis of single transferable vote
system. They are elected every year.

Mayor and Deputy Mayor are the representatives of the people and are responsible to
the Corporation. The Mayor is the first citizen of the city and holds a dignified position.
He arranges civic reception in honour of foreign visitors. The Deputy Mayor works in the
absence of the Mayor and besides this, he contributes to the functions of day-to-day
administration. The Mayor runs the Municipal Corporation. The Municipal Commissioner
is the chief executive, who implements the scheme and supervises the function of the
Corporation. He distributes work among the officers of the Corporation and also supervises

their work. The Municipal Commissioner acts as a link between the citizen, (who come to
him with complaints and requests) and elected members.

104 Social Studies-6