The Indian Express 16.11.2013
MC House meet on Nov 21 for transfer of villages
The ball has been set rolling for the inclusion of villages under the
UT Administration into the Municipal Corporation. A special meeting of
the General House of the civic body has been scheduled for November 21
to pass a resolution on the issue.
There are 13 villages under the Administration that are governed
by 12 panchayats. It was in 2001 that five villages were transferred to
the Municipal Corporation. Later, in 2006, five more villages were
handed over. These 13 are the only ones left that are under the charge
of the Administration.
The consent of the MC for accepting the villages has been sought
by the Administration. Meanwhile, the civic body is likely to demand
transfer of additional funds from the Administration for taking over the
villages. Transfer of posts and staff would also be demanded.
The UT Administration seems keen on finalising the process of
transfer as the elections for the panchayats are due. Before the
notification of the elections, a decision on the issue is likely to be
taken. Once initiated, the election process that will start in the first
week of December has to be completed by the first week of January.
When the proposal for the transfer was mooted a few years back,
it met with opposition from the panchayats. At present, with the term of
the panchayats ending, there is not much resistance visible.
As per 2011 Census, Chandigarh has the second highest percentage
of urbanisation in the country. There are just five villages in the city
that are still in the category of rural area. This is being taken as a
plea for transferring the villages. The issue is likely to witness
heated debate in the MC House with the NJP having earlier expressed
their opposition to the idea. The regular meeting of the House would be
held on November 28.