CHENNAI: The State government on Tuesday amended a law to ensure direct election of mayors.Piloting the amendment bill in the Assembly, Municipal Administration Minister K P Munusamy pointed out that the election of district panchayat chairpersons comes under the scope of Article 243 (C) of the Constitution, governing Panchayats, on which it is the Centre that takes decisions. He was responding to requests from members that election of district panchayat chairpersons too be made direct. “At the opportune moment, the CM will fulfill this demand of the members,” he said.Through the TN Municipal Laws (Second and Third Amendments) Acts, 2011 (Bills 16,17,18 of 2011), the Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Salem Municipal Corporation Acts were suitably amended. Amendments were also made to fix the territorial divisions of many local bodies as they exist now.The TN District Municipalities Act, 1920 (including the proviso to sub section 1 of section 7) was also amended. The amendment fixed the minimum number of councillors at 15, down from the previous 20. In some of the recently reclassified municipalities, the number of councillors is less than 20.Since it would not be possible to increase the number of councilors to the minimum level before the polls, in the absence of accurate census figures on population for delimitation of wards and reservations of seats the amendment has been done.Also, in most urban local bodies, the delimitation work according to the latest census figures could not be completed. Hence, the territorial divisions would remain the same. Urban local bodies including Chennai (200 wards from the present 155), Pudukottai, Karur, Kanchi, Hosur, Namakkal, Villupuram, Tirupathur and Nagercoil will elect councillors according to the rearranged number of wards on the lines of delimitation exercise post Census 2011. Civic bodies including Salem and Tirunelveli will go to polls with the same number of wards.
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