Indian Express 17.03.2010
Finally, Gandhinagar gets municipal corporation status
Express News Service Tags : Gandhinagar corporation, assembly Posted: Wednesday, Mar 17, 2010 at 0127 hrs
Gandhinagar: Gandhinagar was on Tuesday finally conferred the status of a municipal corporation. So far, it was the only state capital without an elected body. Urban Development Minister Nitin Patel made the announcement in the Assembly during discussions on the budgetary demands of his department.The High Court had in a ruling in September 2009 on a petition by the Gandhinagar Shaher Jagrut Nagrik Parishad, ordered the state government to give the status of a municipal corporation to Gandhinagar within a period of six months. Today was the last date of the completion of six months and the government implemented the order before the expiry date. So far, Gandhinagar was a notified area committee. Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Vadodara are the other cities with a corporation status.
But now, the residents of the state capital will have to bear the burden of taxes on streetlight, road, water, property, and education cess. But these reforms will also enable the city to get funds under the JNNURM for development.
GSNJP had first raised the demand for a corporation status in 1996, pointing out the constitutional and legal position. In March 1997, the Parishad took up the matter with the state legal department and the latter advised the government to set up a municipality in Gandhinagar under Article 243 (Q) of the Constitution. In January 2002, the Parishad approached the Urban Development Ministry to constitute an elected body.
In October 2006, the Parishad met CM Narendra Modi and put forth their view.
In February 2007, the Parishad also submitted a memorandum to Governor Naval Kishore Sharma. Finally, the Parishad moved the High Court in September 2008. A year later, a Division Bench ordered the state government to grant municipal corporation status to the city.
