Amendment bills to increase wards in two municipal corporations tabled in Bengal Assembly (Lead)
Kolkata, Aug 12
Two Amendment Bills proposing an increase in the number of wards in two municipal corporations, namely Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the Howrah Municipal Corporation, were tabled in the West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday during the single-day special session of the House.
After tabling the two bills, namely The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and The Howrah Municipal Corporation (Revised Amendment) Bill, 2026, the state Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister, Agnimitra Paul, told the House that the decisions to increase the wards in these municipal corporations were made due to increase in population in the respective areas, and the move is intended to provide better civic services to the common people.
"If the wards are reorganised, citizens will receive proper services. Trinamool Congress has not allowed people to vote for so long. HMC had been kept deprived of the financial allocation of Rs 200 crore for a long time," said Paul.
The tabling of the two Amendment Bills was followed by a debate. The legislators from both the ruling and opposition parties are participating.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is also scheduled to participate in the debate. The concluding remarks will be made by the state Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister.
The elections for the two municipal corporations are scheduled by the end of the current year and, in all probability, may be held immediately after the end of the festive season starting with Durga Puja in October and ending with Diwali in November.
The state government intends to complete the delimitation in a specific number of wards in both municipal corporations before those polls
As per the proposals, the number of Wards in the KMC will be increased from the current 144 to 209, while the number of wards in the HMC will be increased to 68 from the current 50.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The minister's comment about TMC not allowing people to vote for so long is concerning. But I do agree that reorganisation is needed. Howrah has been neglected for decades - the 200 crore allocation issue needs to be addressed urgently. Let's hope this isn't just election rhetoric.
As a resident of Howrah, I can tell you that our roads and water supply are a mess. Increasing wards from 50 to 68 is a step in the right direction, but what's the point if the financial allocations don't reach the ground level? Let's see how the delimitation is done - should be based on population density, not political convenience.
More wards = more councillors = more accountability, I hope! But let's be honest, this is happening just before elections, so of course there's a political angle. Still, if the delimitation is done transparently with public input, it could benefit everyone. Fingers crossed! 🤞
The timing is clearly designed to influence the municipal elections after Durga Puja. Suvendu Adhikari will definitely question this in the House - and he should. We need to ensure that ward boundaries are drawn based on Census data and fair principles, not to favor any party's vote bank.
Interesting move. From a governance perspective, increasing wards usually helps with better service delivery if properly implemented. But the political context here is obvious - any delimitation right before polls needs to be scrutinized carefully. Transparency will be key.
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