Shimla: Perturbed by the unilateral imposition of municipal act on the city’s suburbs, a newly formed Shimla citizen forum has opposed passing of HP Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2011 and asked the Governor to withhold consent for it.
Speaking on behalf of the forum convener Kuldeep Tanwar said, a memo to Governor Urmila Singh was being submitted asking for withholding consent to the amendment carried out in the MC Act by the Vidhan Sabha as the proposed merger of many peripheral area with Shimla City was being done so without debating the issue with the people likely to be affected by it.
The forum demands that the amendment carried out in the MC Act be reverted back and public objections to the proposed legislation be invited before any law is enacted.
Tanwar said that the proposed expanded municipality of Shimla includes 59 village settlements, which are without any civic amenities.
The MC has got the amendment in the law carried out so as to impose property tax on about 68 thousand people who reside in these newly merged areas, he said.
Unless sewerage systems, roads, street lighting, more reliable water supply and other civic amenities are not provided, and constructed houses are not regularized on ‘as is where is’ basis under building laws, integration of merged areas with Shimla MC would be opposed, said Tanwar.
Seeking to be de-linked from merger with the municipality, the forum has sought to be retained as a Nagar Panchayat till a time pending issues are not settled.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
