Ex-councillors find ‘flaws’ in Patiala MC’s new ward map

Tribune News Service

Ravneet Singh

Patiala, September 1

Questions have been raised over the new map of Patiala municipal areas.

The Department of Local Government had notified the new map and boundaries of wards on August 30 (Wednesday), but the same was pasted on the Municipal Corporation (MC) premises today. The department has given seven days’ time for residents to file objections.

The city’s 60 wards come under three legislative Assembly constituencies — Patiala (Urban), Patiala (Rural) and Sanaur. Thirty-two wards fall in Patiala (Urban), 26 in Patiala (Rural) and two in the Sanaur constituency.

As per the new notification, the LG has kept 24 wards under the open category and 36 reserved. Among the reserved wards, 26 are kept for women, four each for Scheduled Caste (SC) individuals and women from SC category and two are reserved for individuals from backward classes.

Wards reserved for women candidates include number 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 47, 51, 53, 55, 57 and 59, while those reserved for SC individuals are ward number 18, 26, 52 and 54. Ward number 1, 21, 45 and 49 have been reserved for SC women and ward number 19 and 20 for individuals from backward classes.

The affected residents have been given seven days to file their objections. The objections can be addressed to the Secretary, Department of Local Government, through the office of the MC Commissioner. The department will look into the objections, if any, seven days after the notification was issued.

Meanwhile, former councillors of the Congress said there was a lot of disparity in the map and the notification issued by the Department of Local Government.

Sewak Singh, former councillor of ward 10, and Bhuvesh Tiwari, son of former councillor Usha Tiwari, said the city areas were mentioned differently in the notification and the map. The area marked as falling in ward number 8 was mentioned under ward number 6 in the notification.

Sewak Singh said some wards reserved for the SC category were now notified as open wards. “This despite the fact that ward number 8 has more population from the SC community,” he said.

Similarly, ward number 12 has been marked as open ward but the areas of Indira Colony, Guru Nanak Colony, New Green Park and Mehar Singh Colony have more population of BC category.

The Congress leaders said they would submit objections over these matters in writing to the MC on Monday.

“The Department of Local Government notified the new map and boundaries on Wednesday, but the MC pasted it in the office today. They had given only seven days to file objections. As such, we are left with only three working days as Saturday and Sunday are holidays,” said a former councillor of the Congress.

Local Govt Dept invites objections

The affected residents have been given seven days to file their objections. The objections can be addressed to the Secretary, Department of Local Government, through the office of the MC Commissioner. The department will look into the objections, if any, seven days after the notification was issued.

36 of 60 municipal wards reserved

As per the new notification, the LG has kept 24 wards under the open category and 36 reserved. Among the reserved wards, 26 are kept for women, four each for Scheduled Caste (SC) individuals and women from SC category and two are reserved for individuals from backward classes.

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