New GHMC Act to give more powers to chief

Plans to make elected representatives more accountable

The state government has asked the GHMC to send proposals to amend the GHMC Act to bring it in line with the new Municipal Act that is currently valid in other urban civic bodies in the state.

The amendments should fill the lacunae in the GHMC Act and make elected representatives more accountable.

The new Municipal Act will reduce human interface between citizens and the bureaucracy by providing facilities such as self-certification and deemed approval for building permissions.

The amendment will enable the government to implement uniform service rules (USR) for municipal staff in all urban local bodies.

It will make corporators responsible for maintaining 85 per cent greenery in their wards, improve sanitation, and ensure roads and streetlighting is provided, among others.

The amendments would give absolute powers to the municipal commissioner who can sack corporators at any time if they are found to be failing to implement the new law.

According to highly

placed sources, municipal administration and urban development principal secretary Arvind Kumar, at a recent interaction with GHMC commissioner D.S. Lokesh, asked him to send the list

of amendments. urban development principal secretary has asked Mr Kumar to mention the lacunae in the existing GHMC Act and give suggestions to rectify them.

The government after

vetting the amendments will either amend them through an ordinance or get them passed in the Legislative Assembly.

The corporation has begun listing the proposed amendments.