Municipal Corporator : A Brief into Who Runs Your City Behind The Scenes

Who?

The urban local government which works for the development of any Metropolitan City with a population of more than one million is known as the Municipal Corporation in India. The members of the Municipal Corporation are directly elected by the people. A Municipal Corporation is made up of a Wards Committee. Each ward has one seat on the Wards Committee. Members are elected to the Wards Committee on the basis of adult franchise for a term of five years. These members are known as Municipal Coporators.

The Executive Officers along with the Mayor and Corporators monitor and implement the programs related to planning the development of the corporation. The number of Corporators also depends upon the area and population of the city. In India, the four metropolitan cities; Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, have the largest corporations.

Purpose?

The municipal corporators are considered the representatives of people at grassroots level. The very purpose of their existence is to work towards the welfare and interests of the municipality they are representing. It is fair to assume that a councillor is responsible for taking care of civic issues such as roads, infrastructure, town planning, waste management, etc. The councillors are vested with functions pertaining to education, public health, welfare, public safety and developmental work.

Besides performing traditional functions, the councillors are expected to drive development programmes and promote cultural and aesthetic aspects. It is important that every councillor participates in developing and evaluating the programs of a municipality.

How are they elected?

The electoral roll of a particular ward elects the representative or Councillor for their ward. The electoral roll for each ward is divided in to one or several parts depending upon the area within the ward where the voters of each part reside. This means that the voters included in each part belong to a street or a road or a named area within that ward. The voters from all the parts together form the electoral roll of a particular ward.

Responsibilities of The Corporator?

The Corporator under the Municipal Corporations performs the following duties:

• To work towards the welfare and interests of the municipality as a whole.
• To participate in the council meetings, council committee meetings and meetings of other related bodies.
• To participate in developing and evaluating the programs and policies of the municipality
• To keep the privately discussed matters in council meetings in confidence.
• To get all the information from the chief administrative officer about the operation and administration of the municipality.
• To perform any other similar or necessary duties.

Get To Know Your Corporator

You can get to know more about your own ward by clicking on the following link or by visiting your nearest Ward Office. Here: http://www.mcgm.gov.in

We hope the following article has helped you understand the municipal ward system and its functions. And we hope you are able to make an informed decision and vote wisely for the upcoming candidate. May the most deserving and well equipped candidate win. Happy Voting!

Team WCC