Bengal govt dissolves Kolkata Municipal Corporation, appoints administrator

Kolkata, Jun 8 (PTI) The West Bengal government on Monday dissolved the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and appointed IAS officer Smita Pandey as its administrator following the resignation of Mayor Firhad Hakim.

In an order, the municipal affairs department said that with the dissolution of the KMC, all councillors, members of the mayor-in-council, committee members and the chairperson would vacate their offices in accordance with the provisions of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980.

The decision came after the mandatory 72-hour period following Hakim’s resignation expired without the election of a successor by the TMC.

According to the order, Pandey has been appointed administrator of the civic body until fresh elections, which are

due later this year.

Hakim, who also served as the state’s urban development minister, submitted his resignation to KMC chairperson Mala Roy on June 5.

The Trinamool Congress enjoyed an overwhelming majority in the civic body, with 136 councillors in the 144-member corporation.

Speaking to reporters before demitting office, Hakim said he could no longer discharge his responsibilities in the manner he believed the post required.

The four-time MLA said he sought party supremo Mamata Banerjee’s permission before making the decision.

“I told my leader that I want to leave with my head held high. She said okay,” he added.

The resignation of Hakim on June 5 came a day after Bidhannagar Mayor Krishna Chakraborty and her Chandannagore counterpart Ram Chakraborty quit their posts, and follows a series of resignations by councillors and civic office-bearers across municipalities in different parts of the state.

The KMC has been under TMC control since 2010, a year before Mamata Banerjee ended 34 years of Left rule in the state. PTI AMR MNB