West Bengal Assembly passes Howrah ward delimitation amendment bill
Kolkata, August 12
The West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday passed the Howrah ward delimitation amendment bill, with state ministers stressing the need to redraw ward boundaries in view of the growing population and ensure effective delivery of civic services.
Speaking to ANI, West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul said delimitation was necessary to ensure that civic services and development funds were distributed according to the population of different wards.
"Delimitation is very necessary because we have to provide services to the people. A large ward with a population of 80 thousand gets the same amount of money for development as a ward with a population of 18 thousand," Paul said.
She alleged that providing services was not a priority for the previous government but said it was a priority for the present government.
West Bengal Minister Shankar Ghosh also backed the bill, saying the growing population made delimitation necessary to ensure effective delivery of services.
"Considering the growing population, we want to ensure that services are provided effectively everywhere. Considering the growing population of West Bengal, this is a very necessary bill," Ghosh said.
Minister Nisith Pramanik said the delimitation was "very much needed" and would benefit Kolkata and Howrah by facilitating development.
"The bill that has passed today will certainly be very beneficial for Kolkata and Howrah. This will also bring development," Pramanik said.
He also called for delimitation in other parts of the state, particularly North Bengal.
"This is just as necessary in North Bengal as it is in Kolkata and Howrah. I think Siliguri should also be delimited. There are many areas in North Bengal where delimitation is needed," he said.
Minister Umesh Rai said an earlier bill contained several errors and was rejected before the government brought a fresh amendment bill.
"A previous bill had quite a few errors, so we rejected it today and have brought a fresh Howrah Amendment Second Bill. This bill has been passed unanimously," Rai said.
Rai also highlighted other developments in the Assembly, including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's announcement of Rs 10 crore in relief from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the Assam government following the floods in the state.
He said the Chief Minister also expressed concern over former MLAs who are elderly, have served honestly, and are facing financial difficulties.
Rai said the medical allowance for such former MLAs had been increased from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000.
The passage of the Howrah ward delimitation amendment bill comes amid the state government's efforts to restructure civic wards in line with changing population patterns and improve the delivery of public services.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The population of Howrah has grown so much in the last two decades, especially in areas like Shibpur and Bally. It makes total sense to redraw the boundaries. But I just hope the delimitation isn't done with any political motive – it should purely be about better services for the people. Transparency is key!
I appreciate that Nisith Pramanik raised the point about North Bengal. Siliguri has been bursting at the seams with population growth, and the same logic applies there too. Why should civic development be unequal? Delimitation should be done across the state, not just in Kolkata and Howrah. Makes sense.
It's good that the earlier bill with errors was rejected. Shows some accountability. But as a resident of Howrah, I'm waiting to see how this actually affects my ward's development on the ground. Announcements are fine, but the real test is in the execution. Let's see if our garbage gets collected on time! 😅
A logical step for civic improvement, but the timing is a bit suspicious with state elections around the corner. Delimitation can easily be manipulated to favor certain political interests. The government needs to ensure an independent and fair process. Otherwise, this will just become another tool for vote bank politics.
Interesting to read about this from an outsider's perspective. Ward delimitation is a standard urban planning practice globally. Glad the state government is finally catching up. Hope they consider all stakeholders, especially the slum dwellers who are often most affected by such changes.
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