An Outline of the Structure and Functions of Municipal and Urban Development Department in West Bengal

Abstract

After the Second World War, the developing countries of the Third World, including India, have been experiencing rapid urbanization due to socio-economic development.  The pace of urbanization in these countries has further increased due to the impact of liberalization and globalization processes.  With the increasing pace of urbanization around the world, various problems are being observed in the establishment of good urban governance.  Along with urbanization, a type of municipal administration system was developed in our country since ancient times.  However, many local government experts believe that the representative municipal system in India is largely a contribution of the colonial rulers.  In 1687, the first municipal corporation system was established in the city of Madras.  Then in 1726 Calcutta and Bombay Municipal Corporation was established.  Municipalities were gradually established in other important urban areas during the colonial rule. The constitution of independent India did not specifically mention municipal administration separately.  As a result, the development of municipal autonomy system was completely dependent on the consent of the state government.  In the absence of constitutional obligation, most of the state governments have not paid much attention to the formation of municipalities.  Urbanization in our state of West Bengal in the 60s and 70s mainly meant the development of Kolkata and its adjoining areas.  The 74th Constitutional Amendment of 1992 was a landmark in the evolution of the all-India municipal history.  Through this amendment, municipal institutions not only got constitutional recognition, but also reflected the clear outline of an all-India municipal policy.  Reservation of seats for the weaker sections of the society, formation of ward committees, formation of finance commission and election commission as well as the inclusion of municipal duties in the twelfth schedule of the constitution has undoubtedly given momentum to the development of municipal administration at the all-India level. The West Bengal Government also passed the West Bengal Municipal Act in 1993 in the context of the 74th Constitutional Amendment.  The West Bengal Municipal Act of 1993 is considered as a precedent to be followed for the whole of India.  According to the 2001 census, the rate of urbanization in West Bengal was higher than the average rate of urbanization in India.  West Bengal has an urbanization rate of 28.03 percent as against the national average of 27.62 percent.