MIC may be delayed

Sources said some of the senior members raised certain objections from the recommendations which would force the ruling party to make amendments as in case of Mumbai Municipal Corporation and also in Calcutta. Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel is also reportedly not pleased over the recommendations forwarded by the committee. Patel has also asked the urban development department to form another committee which would have municipal commissioners and ex-commissioners as its members and after the report was submitted, the high power committee would study the proposal again and forward the recommendations. The high power committee has finance minister Vajubhai Vala, Minister of State for Urban Housing and Urban Development Kaushik Patel, Minister of State for Urban & Rural development Maganbhai A Kasundra, Chief Secretary L N S Mukundan, K V Bhanujan, G Subbarao, Manjula Subramanium, and Sangeeta Singh on board.

This decision is said to have been taken after the meeting of high power committee at the Chief Minister’s house last week. The committee with commissioners on board have been asked to reduce the powers of the commissioners and not just make him the Principal Executive Secretary as recommended by the first committee.

Admitting that the implementation of the MIC was delayed, Kaushik Patel said that the bill would not be tabled in the Assembly during this session. He said the state government would bring an ordinance in September later this year. He said with the term of the Mayor completing in all the corporation by the end of this month it was not possible for the government to implement it by the end of this month.

Hence, he said, the state government decided to further study the proposal in detail and then implement it.

Further he said with this delay several corporation who have already given extensions to the standing committee members will have to go in for fresh appointments if they want, which would be totally left to respective corporations.

He said the term of the mayor after the implementation of the MIC would be two and a half year. He said even if the council was implemented the next mayor would continue for the remaining period and the regular term would come into force after the next corporation elections schedules to take place after two years.

Sources said the MIC would have a council of ten members headed by the the Mayor (chairman).

Immediately after MIC there will be department and ward committees. The mayor will have the liberty to appoint the deputy mayor and ten other members of the council.

Besides, the commissioner who at present has some powers would have no financial powers. Inspite the departmental and ward committee and the Mayor-in- Council would have all financial powers. The commissioner would then be called the principal executive secretary and the the Leader of the Opposition in the corporation would be the chairman of the of the accounts committee. Each committee would be of nine members with three from opposition and rest from the ruling party.