Stores Ltd. It has an initial capital invest

ment of Rs. 20 lakhs.

Film Town Near Bangalore

The municipality has been charged with irregular functioning and for not keeping the accounts properly.

There are three

other.

groups in the munici

Punjab

Gurgaon Board Civic Body

A petition under Article 226 of the Constitution challenging the notification of the Punjab Government, dated September, 14, 1966, superseding the Municipal Committee, Gurgaon, was dismissed in limine by a division bench of the Punjab High Court, on October 12.

The petition had been preferred by Mr. Hit Abhilashi Sharma, president of the committee, and 11 municipal commissioners of Gurgaon, and was directed against the State of Punjab through the Local Self-Government Secretary and Miss Mira Seth, Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon.

One of the several grounds urged by the petitioners was that the Government having taken a decision by its order dated July 14, 1966, not to supersede the committee and having conveyed it even to the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, and to the Commissioner. Ambala Division, as per letter from the State Government (respondent No. 1) there was no jurisdiction in respondent No. 1 to review the said order, and more especially when the petitioners were never called or heard by any one after their meeting with the Minister concerned on June 24, 1966.

Show Cause Notice

Phillaur municipality on October 27 received a notice from the Punjab Government to show cause why it should not be superseded.

The Deputy commissioner has directed the Sub-Divisional Officer to see that the notice is complied with within a fortnight.

Removal of Members Civic board

Ten Jan Sangh members of the Ambala City Municipal committee, including its president, Mr. Raghubir Sharan Sharma, have been removed from membership of the committee and disqualified for election to the committee for one year by a Punjab Government order issued under Sec. 16 of the Punjab Municipal Act.

The other members removed and disqualified are Mr. Wazir Chand. Mr. Faqir Chand Gupta, Mr. Tirath Singh, Mr. Krishan Lall, Mr Tilak Raj Bakshi, Mr. Gorey Lall, Mr. Lakshmi Narain Vaid, Mr. Shiv Prashad and Mr. Faquir Chand Jain.

They have been charged with flagrant abuse of their position as members of the committee in causing undue harassment of an executive officer of the committee in a spirit of vindictiveness.

Uttar Pradesh

Local Bodies Seminar

The three-day seminar in Lucknow on the relationship between the deliberative and executive wings in local bodies (urban and rural) in India concluded on October 26.

The consensus at the seminar was that the local bodies should function through committees. A corporation should have about five standing committees; the Mayor or the deputy mayor should not become exofficio chairmen of all the standing committees as it ran counter to the principle of diffusion of power.

The number of members in each committee should not exceed ten so that the business-like character of the committees might be preserved.

It was emphasised at the seminar that the members of the opposition should be freely

taken into the various standing committees. It was felt that this arrangement would help harmonious working of the local bodies and inculcate a sense of responsibility among the opposition.

The seminar also recommended that the state Government should not nominate any member to any of these committees. The committee should have the power to nominate persons from outside the rank and file of members. Further, there should be a coordinating committee to be presided over by the Mayor. This committee should consist of the deputy mayor and chairmen of all the standing committees.

It was the unanimous opinion that the committee should have a measure of both deliberative and executive powers. They should decide the policy and chalk out programmes within the purview of the policy on clear-cut guide lines.

The principal standing committee should be invested with the powers of recruitment of class III and class IV staff, the upper incumbents being recruited by an independent body.

It was argeed that the standing committees should be statutory.

Mr. Ram Murti, U. P.'s Minister for Community Development, presided over the seminar. Mr. K. K. Das, Chief Secretary to the U. P. Government, thanked the guests. More Money For Civic Staff

A raise ranging between Rs. 5 and 10 has been given to the low-paid employees of urban local bodies in Uttar Pradesh, under the revised scales fixed by the State Govern

ment.

The new scales, which will benefit those with salaries up to its 150 per month, will come into force from October 1 and will be announced soon.

The pay-scales were last revised in 1949. Civic Employees March To Council House

Employees of the Lucknow Municipality Corporation marched in overwhelming num

bers from the Jhandi Park, in front of the offices of the civic body, to Council House, on October 28, in support of their longstanding demands.

Procession was in response to a call issued by the Nagar Mahapalika Sangharsh Samiti. The processionists were estimated at over 5,000 strong, and after holding a meeting in support of their demands in the Jhandi Park, where several trade union leaders spoke, they marched through the main streets of the city before assembling in front of Council House.

The trade union leaders supported the demands of civic employees and condemned the civic body for wrongfully denying the benefits extended to them by the state Government. The speakers also bitterly criticised the recent ordinance, banning strikes for a period of six months by the employees of the KAVAL town municipal corporations. They said that this was a black ordinance and an attempt to gag the democratic rights of civic/ employees.

A five-man deputation, consisting of Mr. Ramesh Srivastava, Mr. Mohammed Shakeel, Mr. Sitla Bux Singh, Mr. Chandra Prakash, and Mr. Asharfi Lal, waited upon the LS-G Minister, Mr. Charan Singh, and handed him a memorandum dealing the demands of the civic employees. The minister is reported to have given the deputationists a patient hearing and assured them that he would consider their demands sympathetically.

Earlier, the UP Waterworks Employees' Union separately demonstrated before the Aishbagh Waterworks, and later joined the evening procession along with the rest of the civic employees.

The Sangharsh Samiti is meeting again to chalk out the further course of action in case the authorities fail to concede to the demands of the civic employees.

Nominations Filed For Meerut Poll

Fourteen nomination papers, filed on November 25 for the Meerut Municipal Presi-dent's seat, show that the election on November 1 will be purely on group lines and its outcome will influence the election for the Meerut Vidhan Sabha seat in February next.

The Jan Sangh, which has a very good chance of winning the seat, has put up Dr. Jagdish as its candidate, and thereby dissociated itself from the Congress dominated group.

The following have filed their nominations; Mr. Abdul Majid, Mr. Sain Das Jain, Mr. Devi Dayal Sen, Mr. Jagdish Prasad, Mr. Anand Swarup Sharma, Mr. Sampuran Singh, Mr. Mohammed Ayub, Mr. Mahendra Dutt Sharma, Dr. Jagdish, Mr. Raghubir Saran, Hakim Saifuddin, Mr. Parmatma Saran, Mr. Triloki Nath Vaish and Mr. Shivanand Sharma.

Dehra Dun Civic Chief

Two prominent members of the ruling Congress group in Dehra Dun City Board on July 13, Mr. Lachmandas Virmni and Amarnath Anand moved a resolution with the Chair's permissoion asking the civic chief Kunwar Brij Bhushan to resign. They alleged growing inefficiency in the City Board administration since he took

over 18 months ago. The resolution said that a formal vote of no confidence might be in the offing.

Jhansi Civic Body Superseded

By an order of the Government the Jhansi Municipal Board has been superseded. The district magistrate took over its charge on October 15.

Mr. Justice Dwivedi and Mr. Justice Satish Chandra, of the Allahabad High Court, on October 25 issued an interim order restraining the state Government, the district magistrate, and the Jhansi Municipal Board, from interfering with the carrying on of administration of the board by its elected members and the president until further orders.

The above interim order was issued by the court while admitting a writ petition for quashing the notification issued by the state Government on October 12, superseding the board for its remaining term on the ground that the board had mismanaged its finance and failed to carry on its financial and other statutory obligations.

Indu Prakash Kapoor, acting president, and twenty-six other members of the board."

West Bengal

Calcutta's Sore

Union Labour Minister Mr. Jagjiwan Ram on September 17 laid the foundation stone of Calcutta of Calcutta Corporation's Free Primary School building on Tiljala Road. The area around the school is inhabited by the members of the Chamar community.

Recalling his past visits to the area more than 35 years ago, the Minister said there had been many changes all over the world but this area in Calcutta remained unchanged. The people inhabiting the area today were as ignorant and lived in same darkness in which they lived in 1937. The poverty-stricken condition of Tiljala people was the sore of Calcutta. If such conditions were not removed, the discontent would lead to revolution in the country.

The Union Minister recognised the need financial help for the purpose from the for development of Calcutta and promised

Centre.

Canadian Civic Leaders' Visit

On September 13 Mr. F. Warren Hurst, President of the Bureau of Municipal Research, Toronto, and Mr. Simon Miles, Member of the Bureau's Advisory Committee, called on the Commissioner of Calcutta Corporation, Mr. A. K. Bhattacharya, and discussed the working of Calcutta Corporation. The two members of the Bureau were on a mission to study the system of municipal administration in big cities all over the world. The Bureau proposes to produce a volume on civic administration of the world.

Food Debate

Calcutta corporation on September 18 and 19discussed the food situtaion in the country. Moving an adjournment motion on September 16United Left Front Councillor. S.K. Sen criticised the State Government for its failure to supply sufficient food to every person. The motion was rejected when put to vote on