Now Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota to have 2 municipal corporations

Jaipur: In a major decision, the Ashok Gehlot-led government on Friday announced that Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota will have two municipal corporations. The current JMC wards in Jaipur will be divided and allotted to the two municipal corporations. The new municipal corporations in Jaipur will be called Greater Jaipur Municipal Corporation and Heritage Jaipur Municipal Corporation. While one corporation will have 100 wards under its jurisdiction, the other will have 150 wards.

The decision ahead of the local body elections in Rajasthan will cause delay in the polls. The elections will be postponed in six cities including Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota. The delimitation exercise for the wards will be conducted again. The number of wards in Jaipur will go up to 250.

UDH minister Shanti Dhariwal said that one of the municipal corporations will be called Heritage Jaipur Municipal Corporation, while the other will be called Greater Jaipur. In the Heritage Jaipur Municipal Corporation with 100 wards, the wards of the Walled City will be included, according to preliminary reports. The Greater Jaipur Municipal Corporation will have 150 wards. Jaipur will have two mayors.

Talking to media persons, chief minister Ashok Gehlot said that this segregation will help civic authorities manage the city in a better way.

“The population has increased. Ensuring civic facilities for all the city wards is becoming unmanageable. This happened in Delhi too. There was only one municipal corporation in the past, but the number has gone up to three now,” said Gehlot.

This is third major decision taken at the last hour by the Ashok Gehlot government ahead of the local body elections in the state. Earlier, the government reversed its own decision and announced that the mayor would not be elected directly by the public. The government also announced that a person who has not fought the election of councillor can be elected mayor of a municipal corporation.