Term ends for nine local bodies in Ghaziabad, committee takes over as polls delayed

The Ghaziabad district has nine local bodies of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation, four nagar palikas of Loni, Khoda-Makanpur, Modinagar and Muradnagar and four nagar pachayats of Patla, Niwari, Farid Nagar and Dasna

As local body elections in the state of Uttar Pradesh have been delayed owing to legal complications, the five-year term of the elected representatives and board of the nine local bodies in Ghaziabad has ended and a three-member committee, comprising officials, and headed by the district magistrate has taken over the decision making and the day-to-day functioning of the local bodies.

The term for the Ghaziabad municipal corporation ended at midnight of January 22. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The Ghaziabad district has nine local bodies of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation, four nagar palikas of Loni, Khoda-Makanpur, Modinagar and Muradnagar and four nagar pachayats of Patla, Niwari, Farid Nagar and Dasna.

The term for the Ghaziabad municipal corporation ended at midnight of January 22 and for the other eight local bodies in the month of January. The start of the term was based on the first board meeting in 2018. The corporation board comprises the city mayor, municipal commissioner and councillors.

“The term of the local bodies has ended and now they will not be taking any policy decisions. The day-to-day functioning and the financial payments will be taken up by the committee comprising three officials and headed by the district magistrate, This committee also includes the executive officer in the case of local bodies and the municipal commissioner in case of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation,” said Ritu Suhas, additional district magistrate and nodal officer for the local bodies.

Municipal commissioner Nitin Gaur said the daily working with regard to services provided to citizens will continue.

“The municipal commissioner still has the power to make payments of up to ₹10 lakh and the committee will decide on all payments exceeding that amount. The regular working of the corporation will continue while the term of the mayor and the councillors has now ended,” he added.

The local body elections were expected to be held in Uttar Pradesh by the end of 2022, but these got delayed due to legal complications.

On December 27, 2022, the Allahabd high court quashed the Uttar Pradesh government’s December 5 notification proposing reservation of the other backward classes (OBC) in the upcoming local body elections.

The high court said the state must follow the “triple test formula” laid down by a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court in 2010 before carrying out such an exercise.

The triple test requires the state to set up a dedicated commission to conduct a rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of the backwardness of OBCs with respect to local bodies, specify the proportion of reservation in light of the commission’s proposals, and not exceed the 50% quota cap prescribed by the top court in a landmark 1992 judgment.

The government has constituted a five-member backward classes’ commission and the matter has is currently being heard by the Supreme Court.

The high court, in its order on December 27, 2022, had directed that a committee shall discharge day-to-day functions of the municipal body concerned and shall not take any major policy decision.

“In case, term of municipal body comes to an end, till the formation of the elected body the affairs of such municipal body shall be conducted by a three-member committee headed by the district magistrate concerned, of which the executive officer/chief executive officer/municipal commissioner shall be a member. The third member shall be a district level officer to be nominated by the district magistrate,” the high court order had said.