The present corporation has 60 wards, which have now been merged to
form 31 wards, thereby increasing the area of each ward. According to
the new rule, the minimum population of each ward should be around
20,000.

Moreover, this is the first time that the corporation
will have area sabhas within the wards with an aim to give more power to
people to voice their grievances, said Mukul Gogoi, additional commissioner of the GMC.

“As per the Nagar Raj Bill adopted by the Assam government,
the population of each ward should be around 20,000. When there were 60
wards under the GMC, the population in some of the wards were below
20,000,” said Gogoi.

The finalization of the demarcation of the
area sabhas and GMC wards will pave way for holding of civic elections.
The GMC elections have not been held after the last elected body was
dissolved in 2008.