HP: Number of SMC wards reduced to 34, Assembly passes Bill

Shimla, Apr 4 – Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday cleared the bill brought to reduce the number of Shimla Municipal Corporation wards from 41 to 34, the government had to reduce the number of wards as the number of people filled the petitions in the court against the delimitation of wards.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri presented the bill for discussion and ascent of the house and stated that the government has decided to fix population criteria on the study of the number of voters in each ward and decided to reduce the number of wards by taking uniform criteria in the all the Municipal corporation of the state. He said that the state election commission had already notified the election of Shimla MC yesterday.

The government has already brought an ordinance to reduce the number of wards which would be replaced by this legislation Dy CM said. He said Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2023 to reduce the number of wards within Shimla Municipal Corporation from 41 to 34 which was introduced in the house on Monday.

Mukesh Agnihotri said this Bill today came for the approval of this house, however, notification of SMC was announced yesterday and would be held on May 2, 2023. The previous BJP regime had increased the number of wards from 34 to 41. The defense given for the reduction of the wards from 41 to 34 is that each ward has a population of about 4987, which is ideal. “Reducing the population per ward will result in unnecessary administrative involvement and financial burden.

There are five municipal corporations in Himachal including Shimla with a population of 1.69 lakh and 34 wards, Solan (47,418 and 17 wards), Dharamshala 53,543 and 17 wards), Palampur (40,385 and 15 wards)and Mandi (41,375 and 15 wards). The Bill passed by the assembly with voice vote in the absence of opposition members who earlier lodged walkout from the house.