On Saturday, all India Mayor Council decided to appeal to the CMs of various state to implement the 74th constitutional Amendment Bill to strengthen the local self-government in their states.
Lucknow mayor Sanyukta Bhatia, who participated in the meeting, said, “The mayors from across the country requested the Central government to amend the All India Municipal Act and create a separate “Municipal cadre” in the Indian Administrative Services (IAS).”
“Mayors feel that officers selected for municipal cadre will serve in Municipal Corporation throughout their service period. Such a pool of IAS officers would be more beneficial for the development of cities,” she said
“All the mayors decided that they would soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the chief ministers to press for their demands,” she added.
“The implementation of 74th amendment will give more rights to local bodies at the same time it would increase their accountability. Presently, local bodies and representatives don’t have any rights compared to MLAs and MPs. The mayors are just symbolic. Sometimes it’s hard to get the work done for any mayor because he has no authority. That’s why the mayor needs to be empowered.”
