Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation
ગાંધીનગર મહાપાલિકા
Type
Type
History
Founded 2010
Leadership
Mayor
Mr. Pravin Patel, Bharatiya Janata Party
Deputy Mayor
Mr. Devendrasinh Chavada
Seats 32
Elections
First election
 2011
Last election
 2016

Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation is the local civic body responsible for the administration of Gandhinagar, the capital of the Indian state of Gujarat. It was set up in 2010.

History

The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation was set up on 16 March 2010 after a ruling by the Gujarat High Court in 2009. Prior to that, Gandhinagar was the only state capital in India which did not have an elected body administrating it. The establishment of a Municipal Corporation to administrate and govern the city introduced municipal taxes to the residents of the city as well as made the city eligible to receive funding from the Government of India under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM).[1] The then Ministry of Urban Development at the centre, led by Saugata Roy, however refused to allot funds to the GMC under the JnNURM plan as it had already reached the number of cities it could accommodate.[2]

Council and elections

The Corporation has a council that comprises 33 seats representing various wards. The maiden election to the council was held in April 2011. The party that won majority seats in the Corporation Council was the Indian National Congress with 18 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party, which governs the state of Gujarat won 15 council members.[3]

The election was the first in India to allow Non resident Indians (NRIs) to vote using an online platform instead of a postal ballot which was the only way non resident voters could cast their vote earlier.[4]

The first mayor of the city was Mahendrasinh Rana, while the deputy mayor was Yusuf Parmar of the Congress, who were elected unanimously by the council.[5]

In 2012, three members of the ruling Congress, including the mayor defected to the BJP, giving it the majority needed to run the corporation.[6]

Taxes

The Corporation levies Property Tax on the residents of the areas within its jurisdiction. It levies taxes based on localities and the income of the residents.[7]

Functions

As of 2012, the Corporation had a very limited role that of sanitary activities such as clearing of garbage in the city because the Government of Gujarat was yet to transfer the land under GMC jurisdiction to the corporation from the forest, roads and buildings authorities.[8] In 2012, the Corporation launched a facility for citizens to register grievances by sending an SMS.[9]

Fire and Emergency Services

The Corporation also runs the Fire and Emergency Services wing of Gandhinagar City.[10] The Gandhinagar Fire and Emergency Services (GFES) also operates in the three towns of Mansa, Dehgam and Kalol which fall outside GMC limits. It has a sanctioned strength of fifty firefighters but has five full-time staff.[11]

Sanitation

The GMC performs basic sanitary functions such as removal of weeds, cleaning up of garbage, cleaning up drainage systems and removal of dead animals.[9][12]

Transport

Out of 62 kilometres (39 miles) of roads, 57 kilometres (35 miles) of roads come within the jurisdiction of the GMC.[13] These roads are maintained by the Roads and Buildings Department of the Government of Gujarat.[9] In 2011, the state government decided to rename roads in the city. It was rumoured by officials that this was done to prevent the Congress-led corporation from naming roads after their leaders.[14]

Unlike the neighbouring city of Ahmedabad, buses are run in the city by the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), private player VTCOS and the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS).[13][15]

Water Supply

Water Supply to the city was earlier handled by the Gujarat Water Supply And Sewerage Board (GWSSB). After the formation of the corporation, the GMC took over water supply and planned to install water meters across all consumer premises.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Finally, Gandhinagar gets municipal corporation status". The Indian Express. Gandhinagar. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "No JNNURM cover for Gandhinagar and Karamsad, state govt fumes". Express News. Gandhinagar: The Indian Express. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Congress grabs Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation". Daily News and Analysis. Gandhinagar/Ahmedabad. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Chopra, Ritika (29 July 2014). "Election Commission of India may opt for Gujarat online model for NRI voting". Economic Times. New Delhi. ET Bureau. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  5. ↑ Jha, Paras (8 May 2011). "Mahendrasinh Rana is Gandhinagar mayor". DNA. Gandhinagar. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "In reverse swing, BJP 'captures' Cong-ruled GMC". Ahmedabad: The Indian Express. Express News Service. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "GMC proposes new property tax formula". Times of India. Ahmedabad. TNN. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Bereft of any role, Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation runs after property tax". Times of India. Ahmedabad. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 "Gandhinagar residents can now register their complaints via SMS". Times of India. Ahmedabad. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  10. ↑ John, Paul (14 February 2014). "Buildings outside GMC limits have no fire NOCs". Times of India. Gandhinagar. TNN. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "90% staff shortage burns Gandhinagar fire dept". Daily News and Analysis. Ahmedabad. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Cleanliness drive in Gandhinagar". Times of India. Gandhinagar. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  13. 1 2 Chavda, Hitesh (17 February 2014). "Gandhinagar to share cycles". Times of India. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  14. ↑ Jha, Paras (12 May 2011). "Roads in Gandhinagar to get proper names, finally". Daily News and Analysis. Gandhinagar. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Now, AMTS bus will take you to Gandhinagar". Daily News and Analysis. Ahmedabad. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  16. ↑ Kaushik, Himanshu (4 March 2012). "Gandhinagar water to be metered soon". Times of India. Gandhinagar. TNN. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
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