Kolkata Municipal Corporation

History

Under the guidance of the first Minister of Local Self-Government in Bengal, Sir Surendranath Banerjee, the Calcutta Municipal Act of 1923 made provision for the enfranchisement of women and the election of a Mayor of Kolkata annually. Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das was the first Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation with Subhas Chandra Bose as his Chief Executive Officer. Deshbandhu famously gave the position of the Chief Executive Officer to Bose over a more experienced Deshapran Birendranath Sasmal. Later mayors include Deshapriya Jatindra Mohan Sengupta, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bidhan Chandra Roy, Nalini Ranjan Sarkar, Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque, Triguna Sen, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.[[File:2011 Kolkata population density by Wards (en).svg|thumb|Ward wise KMC population density|302x302px]]

Structure

The city is divided into 144 administrative wards that are grouped into 16 boroughs. Each of these wards elects a councillor to the KMC. Each borough has a committee consisting of the councillors elected from the respective wards of the boroughs. The Corporation, through the borough committees, maintains government-aided schools, hospitals and municipal markets and partakes in urban planning and road maintenance. name=Metropolis The corporation as the apex body discharges its function through the Mayor-in-Council, consisting of a mayor, assisted by a deputy mayor, and ten other elected members of the KMC. The mayor is responsible for the overall functioning of the KMC and has a tenure of five years. At present, the All India Trinamool Congress holds the power in the KMC.

Current members

Kolkata Municipal Corporation has a total of 144 members or corporators, who are directly elected after a term of 5 years. The council is led by the Mayor. The latest elections were held in 19 December 2021. The current mayor of Kolkata is Firhad Hakim of the Trinamool Congress. The current deputy mayor is Atin Ghosh of the Trinamool Congress.

Budget

As of 2024-25, the city government's budget is , out of which was earmarked for roads and transport infrastructure, is to be spent on solid waste management, on water supply and on health services.

Criticism

Recently the KMC has faced a lot of criticism for legalising unauthorized construction largely responsible for a number of deaths because of fire. This was also responsible of the unplanned growth in the city.

The Sheriff of Kolkata and The KMDA

The city also has an apolitical titular post, that of the Sheriff of Kolkata.{{cite news | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060825204513/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051228/asp/calcutta/story_5652677.asp | url-status=dead | archive-date=25 August 2006

Area of jurisdiction

The jurisdiction of the KMC covers the area covered by the Kolkata Police (which in turn includes the area of Kolkata District / KMC)

In 2011, it was announced that Kolkata Police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation area will be coterminous.

Kolkata Postal District however extends right up to Barrackpur in the North, Barasat in the North-East, Rajarhat in the East, up to Baruipur in South-East and Pailan in South and up to Pujali in South-West. The Postal code in this entire area starts with 700, indicating Postal Sorting Division of Kolkata. Thus Kolkata Postal Division is much bigger than the area of KMC (Kolkata District) and Kolkata Police.

Services

The KMC is responsible for administering and providing basic infrastructure to the city.

• Water purification and supply
• Sewage treatment and disposal
• Garbage disposal and street cleanliness
• Food Inspection:Through KMC Food Inspectors
• Solid waste management
• Building and maintenance of roads, streets and flyovers.
• Street lighting
• Maintenance of parks and open spaces
• Cemeteries and Crematoriums
• Registering of births and deaths
• Conservation of heritage sites
• Disease control, including immunisation
• Public municipal schools etc. Control Room of Kolkata Municipal Corporation can be contacted at (033) 2286-1212.

Department

Elections

2021

2015

References

References

1. "Cong councillor from Metiabruz area joins TMC". The Millenium Post.
2. "kmcgov.in".
3. "Kolkata – A Municipal History". KMC.
4. Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra. (1978). "History of Modern Bengal: 1905-1947". G. Bharadwaj.
5. "Mayors of Kolkata". KMC.
6. (25 November 2021). "KMC polls on Dec 19 to be litmus test for TMC, BJP on urban base since assembly elections". The Economic Times.
7. "Kolkata Statistics". Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
8. "007 Kolkata (India)". World Association of the Major Metropolises.
9. "About Kolkata Municipal Corporation". Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
10. (23 September 2020). "KMC presents deficit budget of Rs 170.66 cr".
11. "About Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority". [[Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority]].
12. (13 June 2011). "City police chief visits added areas". [[The Times of India]].
13. Bandyopadhyay, Krishnendu. (30 August 2011). "People will see the change: Kolkata police chief". [[The Times of India]].
14. . ["KMC Departments"](https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/jsp/AboutUsHome.jsp). *Kolkata Municipal Corporation*.
15. "2015 KMC Results". Archive WBSEC.