Chandigarh Municipal CorporationMunicipal Elections will be fought on 35 wards now. For, the Chandigarh Administration increased the number of wards from 26 to 35 in the draft notification issued on Wednesday. Suggestions and objections have been invited from people to these new wards.
It means the next Municipal Corporation House will have 44 members with 35 new councillors and nine new nominated councillors. At present, there are 35 of them: 26 elected councillors and nine nominated councillors.
In a draft notification issued on Wednesday, ward number 1 that comprised elite sectors now comprises villages.
The notification said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-secton (2) of Section 8 of the Punjab Municioal Corporation Act, 1976, an extended to the Union Tenitory of Chandigarh by the Punjab Corporation Law (Extension to Chandigarh) Act, 1994 (Act No. 45 of 1994) and Order No 6/1/45-FlIl-(8)-2020/1423 dated 15.10.2020, the Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, intends to determine the number of single-member wards and extent of each ward of the municipal area of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh, for the purpose of election of councilors.”
As per the draft, Ward 1 now comprises Kaimbwala, Khuda Alisher, Lahora, Khuda Jassu and Khuda Lahora Colony while Ward 2 comprises the elite places like Sector 1, Sector 2, Sector 3, Sector 4, Sector 5, Sector 6, Sector 7, Sector 8, Sector 9 and Sector 10.
It mentions that Ward-3 comprises Sector 26, Sector 26 E, EWS Colony, Bapu Dham Colony, Phase II (Sector 26), Police Lines (Sector 26) and Madrasi Colony while Ward 4 will comprise Manimajra Basti, Kishangarh, Basti Bhagwanpura, Pipliwala Town, Housing Board Duplex Manimajra and IT Park.
Ward 5 will have Old Manimajra (NAC), Shanti Nagar, Mari Wala Town, Thakur Dwara and Govindpura Manimajra while Ward 6 will comprise Railway Colony, Shivalik Enclave, Mauli Jagran (Part I), Shivalik Enclave, Dhillon Complex & Motor Market, Manimajra, Darshni Bagh, Subhash Nagar, Indira Colony and Charan Singh Colony.
Ward 7 will have Ambedkar Colony, Mauli Jagran, Charan Singh Colony, Mauli Jagran, and small flats, Mauli Jagran.
Ward 8 will have Vikas Nagar, Mauli Jagran, Raipur Kalan and Makhan Majra and Raipur Khurd, Ward 9 has Industrial Area Phase-I, Sanjay Colony, Industrial Area Phase-I, Kabari Colony, Industrial Area Phase-I, Colony No. 4, Industrial Area, Phase-I and Daria.
Ward 10 will consist of Sector 27, Sector 28 and Sector 29.
Ward 11 will comprise Sector 18, Sector 19 and Sector 21 and Ward 12 will have Sector 15, Sector 16, Sector 17 and Sector 24.
Accordingly, Ward 13 will have Sector 11, Sector 12, Sector 14 and Sector 25, UIET and Dental College. Ward 14 will comprise Dhanas, LIG Colony, Dhanas, Milkman Colony, Aman Chaman Ambedkar Colony.
Ward 15 will have Sarangpur and Rehabiliation Colony, Dhanas.
A senior official of the administration said that making new wards was important as 13 new villages have been added in the Municipal Corporation.
Leader of opposition and Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla alleged that the administration is playing in the hands of the BJP.
“They have made wards according to their own voter base, basically to facilitate themselves. Like they have tried to break my voters too. My ward 18 that had sectors 27, 28 and 30 has now been broken and sectors 27, 28 and 29 have been made one as ward 10,” Babla said.
He added, “I learnt that the list has been provided by BJP people to the administration according to their own will.”
Babla said that they will object to this. “Even if we know they won’t take our objections because they have already made up their mind and done according to BJP plans, still we will submit our objections,” he added.
Vinod Vashisht, convener, said, “From residents perspective, we would like constituent areas of a ward to be contiguous. Determination of wards should not only be based upon density of population but should also take into account geographical area, otherwise for a bigger areas wards ‘ward-wise budget’ becomes a constraint for upkeep and development.”
Elected councillors would get ward development fund which would be used usually on pavers or toe walls or swings or maintenance of parks. Municipal elections are scheduled to take place next year because of which new wards have been formed.