LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT

MUNICIPALITIES

Every municipality is composed of elected councillors representing wards, and members of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The State Government have powers to prescribe the number of wards and the number of councillors to he elected from each ward. The term of office of a municipal council is for five years but could be extended further by the State Government.

Every municipal council is to be presided over by the president, elected from amongst the councillors, who holds office for such term which is not less than one year or not less than the residue of the office of council, whichever is less and not exceeding 3 years as the council may determine. Each council has a vice-president who is nominated by the president from amongst the members of the council. A president and a vice-president could be removed from the office by the council, by passing a resolution to that effect, provided that three-fourth of the total members of the council vote in favour of such a resolution. In such a case a president or n vice-president is given a reasonable opportunity to show cause against such action. They are also removable from office by the State Government on account of misconduct or neglect or incapacity to perform duties, after giving a reasonable opportunity to them to represent his case.

The Maharashtra Municipalities Act has underlined the duties to be performed by the president. A president, according to the provisions of the Act, has to preside over the meetings of the council, has to guide the financial and executive administration and has to supervise and exercise control over all officers and servants of a council. The Act also provides for the formation of the sub-committees for the proper and smooth administration of a municipal council.

The duties of council are divided into obligatory and optional; the former include all essential matters such as health, safety, convenience and well-being of the population: while the latter are those which though thought to be legitimate objects of local expenditure are not considered absolutely essential. The following are some of the obligatory duties:-

(1) Lighting public streets, places and buildings.

(2) Cleaning public streets, places and sewers, removing noxious vegetation and abeting all public nuisance.

(3) Extinguishing fires and protecting buildings and life from fire.

(4) Constructing, maintaining public streets, markets, slaughter houses, latrines, drains, washing places, tanks, wells, etc.

(5) Providing sufficient water-supply.

(6) Registering births and deaths and carrying out vaccination.

(7) Establishing and maintaining hospitals and dispensaries and providing medical relief.

(8) Disposing night soil and rubbish.

(9) Giving relief and establishing and maintaining relief works in time of famine or scarcity.

The municipal council may, at its discretion, provide out of funds at disposal for the following:-

(1) Laying out new roads.

(2) Furthering educational objects.

(3) Promoting well-being of municipal employees,

(4) Undertaking any measure likely to promote the public safety, health, education, etc.

The municipal council may impose taxes on the following items.

(1) a rate on buildings and lands,

(2) a tax on vehicles, boats or animals used for riding or burden,

(3) an octroi on animals and goods,

(4) special sanitary cess upon private latrines, premises cleaned by the municipal agency.

(5) a general water tax,

(6) a lighting tax, and

(7) any other tax authorised by the State Government.

The State Government may raise any objection to the levy of any particular tax which appears to be unfair in its incidence to the interest of the general public and suspend levy of such a tax until the objections are removed. The State Government, on the other hand, may authorise a municipal council to impose taxes when it appears to it that the balance of municipal fund is insufficient for the meeting of any cost incurred by it for the execution of any work or the performance of any duty which the municipal council is under the obligation to execute or perform.

Before the passing of the Maharashtra Municipalities Act. 1965, the control over the municipalities was vested in the Collector, the Divisional Commissioner and the State Government. The same is exercised now by the Director of Municipal Administration.

In the Yeotmal district there are 8 municipal councils at the following places viz., Yeotmal, Wani, Digras, Darwha, Pandharkawada, Pusad,, Umarkhed and Ghatanji. Except the Yeotmal Municipal Council which is 'B' class municipal council, all others are in class 'C'. The total area under the Municipal Councils in 1968 was 54.6 sq. miles. Other details of these Municipal Councils are shown in Table No. 1.

TABLE No. 1

YEAR OF ESTABLISHMENT, AREA, POPULATION, WARDS, SEATS, ETC., OF THE MUNICIPALITIES IN YEOTMAL DISTRICT, 1968

*Population as per the 1961 Census.

TABLE No. 1 continued..

The eight municipalities in the district together cover the entire urban population or 12.61 per cent of the total 1961 population of the district.

The following table gives the taxation level of each of the municipalities in 1961-62.

TABLE No. 2

TAXATION LEVEL OF MUNICIPALITIES IN YEOTMAL DISTRICT,

1961-62 [District Census Handbook, Yeotmal, 1961.]

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