ICSE • Class 6 • Social Science • Ch 8
Estimated Time: 45 Mins
Study Progress: In Progress
Urban Local Self-Government (Municipalities)
While nearly two-thirds of India's population lives in rural villages governed by the three-tier Panchayati Raj system, more than one-third of Indians—over 480 million people—live in vibrant towns, cities, and sprawling metropolitan centres such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Lucknow. Compared to villages, urban areas have much higher population density, multi-storey residential apartments, industrial zones, commercial markets, heavy vehicular traffic, and complex sewage and solid waste challenges. Therefore, urban areas require specialized, financially strong institutions of Urban Local Self-Government known collectively as Municipalities.
Historical Evolution and the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (1992):
Urban administration in India has deep historical roots stretching back to the planned cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro (with their covered brick drains and public baths) and the Mauryan capital of Pataliputra, where Megasthenes described a thirty-member municipal board divided into six committees of five members each. During the British colonial period, the first modern Municipal Corporation in India was established at Madras (now Chennai) in 1687–1688 under a charter of the East India Company, followed by the Municipal Corporations of Calcutta (Kolkata) and Bombay (Mumbai) in 1726. Later, Viceroy Lord Ripon's Resolution of 1882 introduced elected local boards across Indian towns.
After Independence, to give constitutional status, financial stability, and democratic regularity to urban local bodies across the country, the Parliament of India enacted the landmark 74th Constitutional Amendment Act in 1992 (popularly called the Nagarpalika Act), which came into force on 1 June 1993. The 74th Amendment added a new part—Part IX-A titled The Municipalities (Articles 243-P to 243-ZG)—and the Twelfth Schedule listing 18 functional subjects (such as urban planning, water supply, public health, solid waste management, fire services, slum improvement, and urban poverty alleviation) to the Indian Constitution.
Just like the 73rd Amendment for rural areas, the 74th Amendment mandated: (a) a uniform 5-year term for all urban local bodies (with fresh elections mandatory within 6 months in case of early dissolution); (b) a minimum voting age of 18 years and a minimum contesting age of 21 years; (c) proportional reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and reservation of at least one-third (33 percent, raised to 50 percent in many states) of all seats and chairperson/Mayor offices for Women; (d) supervision of municipal elections by the independent State Election Commission; (e) review of municipal finances every 5 years by the State Finance Commission; and (f) creation of a District Planning Committee (Article 243-ZD) and Metropolitan Planning Committee (Article 243-ZE) to integrate rural and urban development plans.
Three-Tier Classification of Urban Local Bodies under the 74th Amendment:
Based on the size, population, and economic character of an urban settlement, the 74th Constitutional Amendment provides for three main types of Municipalities:
• Type 1 — Nagar Panchayat (Notified Area Council): Established for a transitional area—an area in transition from a rural village to an urban town, typically having a population between 10,000 and 20,000 or 25,000.
• Type 2 — Municipal Council (Municipality / Nagar Palika Parishad): Established for smaller and medium-sized cities and towns, typically having a population between 20,000 and 3,00,000 (or up to 5,00,000 depending on state criteria).
• Type 3 — Municipal Corporation (Mahanagar Palika / Nagar Nigam): Established for large cities and metropolitan areas having a large population (typically above 3,00,000 or 5,00,000 to over 10,00,000, such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kanpur).
Structure and Working of a Municipal Corporation (Mahanagar Palika):
A Municipal Corporation is the highest and most powerful form of urban local self-government, established in big cities by a special Act of the State Legislature (or Parliament in the case of Union Territories like Delhi). It operates through four main organs:
(a) The General Council (Councillors and Aldermen): The entire city is divided into territorial electoral constituencies called Wards. Registered voters aged 18 years or above in each Ward directly elect a representative called a Councillor (or Corporator / Sabhasad) by secret ballot for a 5-year term. Any registered voter of the city aged 21 years or above can contest elections. Depending on the city's population, a Municipal Corporation may have between 50 and 250 elected Councillors. In addition to directly elected Councillors, the General Council includes Aldermen—eminent, respected, and experienced citizens of the city (such as distinguished doctors, engineers, educationists, lawyers, or social workers) who are elected by the Councillors or nominated by the State Government to bring expert knowledge to city debates. All Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the State Legislature (MLAs and MLCs) representing constituencies within the city are ex-officio members of the Corporation. Seats are reserved for SCs, STs, OBCs, and Women (minimum one-third).
(b) The Mayor (Mahapaur) and Deputy Mayor (Up-Mahapaur): The Mayor is the elected presiding head of the Municipal Corporation. Depending on state laws, the Mayor is either elected by the Councillors from among themselves (often for an annual 1-year renewable term or a 2.5-year to 5-year term) or elected directly by the voters of the city for 5 years. The Mayor is honoured as the First Citizen of the City. The Mayor presides over all meetings of the Corporation, regulates debates, represents the city at official ceremonies, receives distinguished state guests and foreign dignitaries, and acts as the ceremonial and deliberative bridge between the Corporation and the State Government. The Deputy Mayor assists the Mayor and presides over meetings in the Mayor's absence.
(c) The Municipal Commissioner (Nagar Ayukta — Chief Executive Officer): Unlike the Mayor who is an elected political head, the Municipal Commissioner is a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer appointed by the State Government for a fixed tenure and paid a salary out of municipal funds. The Municipal Commissioner is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Municipal Corporation. He or she implements all policies, by-laws, and resolutions passed by the General Council, prepares the annual municipal budget, maintains custody of all official city records, enters into contracts on behalf of the Corporation, and supervises the entire army of municipal employees (including the Chief Engineer, Chief Medical and Health Officer, Education Officer, Fire Chief, and Tax Assessors).
(d) Standing Committees: Because a large General Council of 100+ members cannot handle detailed technical matters daily, the Councillors form smaller specialized Standing Committees—such as the Finance and Taxation Committee, Public Health and Sanitation Committee, Water Supply and Sewage Committee, Public Works Committee, and Education Committee—to scrutinize projects closely.
Structure and Working of a Municipal Council (Municipality) and Nagar Panchayat:
(a) Municipal Council (Nagar Palika Parishad): Medium-sized towns with populations between 20,000 and 3 to 5 lakh are governed by a Municipal Council (commonly called a Municipality or Municipal Board). Voters (18+ years) in each Ward elect Municipal Councillors (also called Ward Commissioners) for a 5-year term (minimum contesting age: 21 years), with reservation for SCs, STs, and at least one-third women, plus ex-officio local MPs and MLAs. The elected head of a Municipal Council is called the Chairperson or President (Nagar Palika Adhyaksha), assisted by a Vice-Chairperson (Vice-President). The State Government appoints a salaried Executive Officer (EO), assisted by a Health Officer, Sanitary Inspector, and Municipal Engineer, to manage day-to-day administration.
(b) Nagar Panchayat: Set up in transitional areas growing from a large rural village into an urban town (such as an industrial township, mining centre, or pilgrimage town with a population of 10,000 to 20,000+), a Nagar Panchayat consists of elected Ward members and a Chairperson for a 5-year term, managing both rural and emerging urban civic services.
Functions, Sources of Income, and Specialized Urban Bodies:
Urban local bodies perform two broad categories of functions. Their Compulsory (Obligatory) Functions include: (1) Public Health and Sanitation (establishing municipal hospitals, dispensaries, maternity and child welfare centres, conducting mass vaccination drives, preventing epidemics like malaria, dengue, and cholera, inspecting food, milk, meat, and restaurants against adulteration, underground sewage, drainage, public toilets, and daily garbage collection and solid waste disposal); (2) Safe Drinking Water Supply (purifying and piping clean water to homes and public taps); (3) Public Works and Street Lighting (constructing and repairing city roads, streets, lanes, bridges, flyovers, subways, and footpaths, and installing electric/LED street lights); (4) Public Safety (maintaining well-equipped Fire Brigades, pulling down dangerous dilapidated buildings, and licensing hazardous trades); (5) Primary Education (establishing and running municipal primary and middle schools); and (6) Vital Records and Civic Facilities (compulsory registration of all births, deaths, and marriages, numbering houses, and maintaining cremation grounds, burial grounds, and electric crematoriums).
Their Optional (Discretionary) Functions—performed according to financial capacity—include developing public parks, gardens, zoos, botanical nurseries, museums, art galleries, public libraries, reading rooms, stadiums, swimming pools, community halls, night shelters (Rain Baseras) for the homeless, orphanages, old-age homes, and local city bus transport services.
To finance these vast duties, Municipalities and Corporations collect income from: (1) Property or House Tax on residential and commercial buildings (their largest tax source); (2) Service Taxes (water tax, drainage/sewage tax, street lighting tax, and scavenging tax); (3) Toll and Entry Taxes on municipal bridges, roads, and commercial vehicles; (4) Entertainment Tax (on cinemas, theatres, and sports events) and Advertisement Tax (on billboards and hoardings); (5) Fees and Rents from municipal markets, slaughterhouses, trade licenses, and building plan approvals; and (6) Grants-in-Aid and Loans from the State and Central Governments.
In addition to standard Municipalities, specialized urban bodies govern specific areas: (i) Cantonment Boards administer military stations where armed forces personnel live, functioning directly under the Union Ministry of Defence; (ii) Port Trusts manage major seaports like Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai under Acts of Parliament; and (iii) Urban Development Authorities (like DDA in Delhi or MMRDA in Mumbai) handle master town planning and major housing schemes.
