The High Court of Karnataka recently in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition ordered the issuance of notices to the state government and the commissioners of 11 municipal corporations, seeking uniform and more effective guidelines for the constitution of ward committees and area sabhas. was demanded. across the state.
A division bench of the court, before which the petition had come up for hearing, fixed the matter for further hearing on November 25. While Katyayani Chamaraj of CIVIC Bangalore is the principal petitioner, the others are Nagrika Shakti, Bengaluru, represented by Narendra Kumar, Mangalore Civic Group represented by Nigel Albuquerque and Ajoy De Silva, Jagrutha Nagarikakara Vedike, Mysore, Janapara Seva Sansthan, Belagavi, and Karnataka The ward committee members are from Kalaburgi, Ballari and Hubli-Dharwad.
The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) have mandated citizens’ participation in urban local bodies, the petitioners said, seeking a uniform and more effective guidelines for selection of ward committees. Several requests have been made to the government for and members of the field council. However, each municipal corporation is following its own method of nominating members arbitrarily, making it necessary to file a petition.
Inequality before the law is a violation of fundamental rights, the petitioners said and pointed to different sets of laws governing the BBMP (BBMP Act 2020), municipal corporations (Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act) and other municipalities (Karnataka Municipalities Act). did. He said that the Municipality Act is more effective in institutionalizing citizen participation in urban local bodies and urged the court to direct the BBMP and the Municipal Corporation Acts to make suitable amendments.
He also called for people’s participation structures and equitable, transparent, fair, democratic and participatory methods in all urban local bodies.
Mangalore Civic Group was formed in 2015 as MCC Civic Group to promote citizens’ participation in local self-government. Citizens who wish to support the work taken by the group can contact Nigel Albuquerque at Ph: 7666873534.