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‘Bill in state assembly to elect mayors directly by people’: Madhya Pradesh CM
The BJP decided to scrap the decision taken by the then Kamal Nath government to restore indirect elections to the post of mayors in 16 municipal corporations.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said a law will be enacted for direct election of mayors and speakers of municipal corporations in the state by people in the respective corporation areas. For this, a bill shall be tabled in the state assembly’s winter session beginning December 28, an official communique stated.
The BJP, on coming to power in March this year, decided to scrap the decision taken by the then Kamal Nath government to restore indirect elections to the post of mayors in 16 municipal corporations in the state whereby councillors elected were supposed to elect the mayors.
Chouhan’s announcement on the direct election came during the state cabinet meeting held virtually on Tuesday.
“It was decided in the cabinet that the speaker and mayor will now be elected through a direct system. The ordinance for this has come. Now, the bill will be introduced in the legislative assembly. The wards will also be fixed accordingly. Chief minister Chouhan said that voters will be now able to cast their votes directly for the speaker and mayor,” the official communique stated.
The CM, as per the official information, said innovative ideas were needed for the development of the state, welfare of the people and making Madhya Pradesh self-reliant.
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“Every department should come up with some innovative ideas and implement them under the leadership of ministers. Work is going on in Madhya Pradesh on the “Buffer mein Safar”, “Global Skill Park” and “Gas Tragedy Memorial” on the lines of Hiroshima-Nagasaki Memorial.
“The chief minister said that the ministers should review the progress of the departments in departmental meetings every Monday. Cabinet meeting will be held every Tuesday,” said the statement.
CM Chouhan said that Covid-19 had resulted in a financial crisis in the state. Therefore, all departments must pay special attention to the arrangement of “out of budget” amount for all construction works. Ministers must make efforts to ensure that Madhya Pradesh got the maximum amount in various schemes of the Centre, he said
As per the official statement, the cabinet also approved land acquisition to Bhopal and Indore Metro Rail projects. After Bhopal and Indore metro areas were declared metropolitan areas, now the land for it would be acquired under “Metro Act 1978”. The CM said this would ensure better compensation to landholders. At the same time, those who put kiosks etc., on the land would also get compensation. This would enable full justice to the poor, the chief minister stated.
As per other decisions taken in the meeting, the cabinet approved the revised amount for construction works of Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal and Shivpuri Medical College. Proposals for exemption of minimum fee prescribed to beer bars, opening of user-free toll plazas on some roads to Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation were also approved.
