Panvel Municipal Corporation Approves 4 Ward Committees For 19 Wards Despite Opposition Demand For 6

Panvel, June 24: The Panvel Municipal Corporation's General Body on Tuesday approved the formation of four ward committees for its 19 electoral wards, clearing the way for the establishment of the committees and the subsequent election of their chairpersons. The proposal was passed by a majority vote of 57 to 14 despite demands from opposition members for the creation of six ward committees.

The meeting was attended by Mayor Nitin Patil, Deputy Mayor Pramila Patil, Additional Commissioner Ganesh Shete and Municipal Secretary Nanasaheb Kamthe.

According to the civic administration, the decision to establish four ward committees was taken in accordance with provisions linked to the city's population as recorded in the 2011 Census, which placed the population of the Panvel Municipal Corporation area at approximately 5.09 lakh.

Four-Committee Structure Approved

Under the approved structure, Ward Committee 'A' will comprise Wards 1, 2, 7, 8 and 10 with 20 members. Ward Committee 'B' will cover Kharghar along with Wards 3, 4, 5 and 6 and will have 16 members. Ward Committee 'C' will include Wards 9, 11, 12, 13 and 15 with 19 members, while Ward Committee 'D' will consist of Wards 14, 16, 17, 18 and 19 with 20 members.

During the debate, Opposition Leader Arvind Mhatre, Congress corporator Haresh Keni and Shiv Sena (UBT) group leader Leena Garad argued that the city's population had increased significantly since 2011 and that four ward committees would be inadequate to cater to administrative needs.

They demanded the formation of six committees, while Garad suggested that at least five committees should be constituted considering the city's current population, which she claimed had crossed 1.2 million.

Leader of the House Prabhakar Binedar maintained that the decision should be taken strictly in accordance with existing rules and statutory provisions.

Opposition Seeks More Committees

The proposal was ultimately approved with the support of 55 corporators from the ruling BJP-led alliance. Including the votes of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the resolution secured 57 votes in favour, while 14 opposition members voted against it. Two alliance corporators were absent during the voting.

The discussion also exposed differences within the opposition camp, as various members advocated different numbers of ward committees. Haresh Keni objected to the unequal distribution of members across the proposed committees, while Mhatre cited the existence of six divisional election officers as a basis for demanding six committees.

Also Watch:

With the General Body's approval now in place, the process for constituting the ward committees and electing their chairpersons is expected to begin shortly.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/