DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini Thursday announced decisions to enhance the powers of representatives of urban local bodies including municipal corporations and municipal councils.

Saini stated that until ward committees are formally established, councillors of the respective wards will be granted full authority to ensure the acceleration of development work in their wards. In addition, if a secretary is not appointed to the ward committee or is absent from a meeting for any reason, the councillor will have the authority to provide a remuneration of Rs 1,000 per meeting for its preparations, he said. Councillors will also receive a meeting allowance for serving as chairpersons at each quarterly meeting of the ward committee.

The chief minister made these announcements while addressing public representatives from across the state at a conference of urban local bodies here.

On this occasion, Saini also announced the formation of a committee led by the Minister of State for Urban Local Bodies, Subhash Sudha, to increase the honorarium for municipal body representatives.

He mentioned that this committee will soon present its report after consulting with all stakeholders.

The chief minister announced the introduction of meeting allowances for representatives of the civic bodies ranging from Rs 1,600 to Rs 3,000 for attending quarterly meetings and additional sums for organizing events on Independence Day and Republic Day, when the chief minister or a Union minister attends the programme. He said that all municipal councillors will monitor various tasks within their respective wards including budgeting for development works, managing cleanliness, land development or change of land use and zoning plan work, maintaining playgrounds, roads, and streetlights, monitoring health centre activities, ensuring water supply, managing education and health services, and arranging basic services for the urban poor.

He also mentioned that it will now be mandatory for relevant department employees to attend ward committee meetings. Councillors will also benefit from medical facilities under the Ayushman Bharat - Chirayu Yojana, he added.

Describing councillors as the "government of cities", Saini said that the BJP government in the state is focusing on strengthening urban infrastructure. The Metropolitan Development Authority has been established for the development of Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Hisar, and Panchkula. He said that the state government has taken several steps to decentralize the powers of urban local bodies. Targeting the opposition, Saini said that the Congress has nothing to offer but lies. He claimed that the opposition leaders misled the public with false statements during the last elections.
(editor@dailyworld.in)