No more ‘councillors’, municipal ‘members’ from now on, please

Gurgaon: Councillors in Gurgaon will no longer be called so, at least in official papers. The MCG commissioner has issued a letter that says the term should not be used while signing a document with the stamp of the elected ward councillor. The term ‘member’ of the corporation has been suggested as an alternative.
According to the letter sent by the MCG chief to all councillors on Wednesday, the decision was taken because the term is not used anywhere in the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 and the Constitution of India. A Punjab and Haryana high court advocate had raised the issue recently, after which legal opinion was sought and it was found that the use of the term ‘ward councillor’ was neither valid nor legal, it said.
“It is to bring to your kind notice that a mail was received from Shri Hemant Kumar, Advocate, Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana, High Court, Chandigarh; wherein he has raised the issue that in Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, and Article 343 of the Constitution of India, the word ‘councillor’ has not been used for the elected members of a corporation; and whereas, the elected member of the corporation more often use the word ‘ward councillor’ while signing a document with the similar stamp; which is against the provision of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, the Haryana Municipal Corporation Election Rules, 1994, and the Constitution,” read the letter.
“I have received a copy of the letter sent by the commissioner to councillors, in which it is mentioned that MCG officials should refrain from using the word councillor in official documents. There has been, however, no briefing on the reason for the move. It is not clear yet whether it comes on the directions of the state government or has been taken at the corporation level,” city mayor Madhu Azad told TOI.
Meanwhile, HC advocate Hemant Kumar said he raised the matter with the election commission since ‘councillor’ is mentioned nowhere in the Act. “So, either the Act should be amended, or the use of the word should be discontinued,” he added.
Councillors expressed dissatisfaction over the move. “Around two to three years ago, the MCG House had unanimously decided that the term ‘corporators’ would be used for councillors. It was after this decision that ‘councillor’ was replaced by ‘corporator’ in the signboards and name boards across the city. Residents know us as MCG corporators,” said Kuldeep Yadav, councillor of ward 29.
The Haryana Election Commission said it has been using the term ‘member’ for councillors across the state. “In our official correspondence, we don’t use the word ‘councillor’, but ‘member’. Member is used for all municipal corporations, councils and committees across the state. We use the same term for municipal committees and municipal council elections as well,” said Inder Jeet, secretary of the commission.