Haryana: Reservation for Backward Classes (A) in ULBs

CHANDIGARH, Haryana: The Haryana Cabinet has accepted the State Backward Classes Commission on providing reservations to category A of backward classes in urban local bodies.  Ordinances to amend the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act and the Haryana Municipal Act will be presented to the council of ministers on Tuesday in order to implement the Backward Classes (A) reservation in municipal bodies.

An official spokesperson said that in every municipal corporation, certain wards shall be reserved for BC (A) and one councilor in every municipality if the population is not less than two per cent of the total urban population of the civic body area. Also, eight per cent of the number of offices of mayors/presidents shall be reserved for the BC (A) in municipal councils, committees, and corporations.

According to the Supreme Court’s order, the committee stated in its report that the quota for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Backward Classes (A) together in a given local body should not exceed 50 per cent of the total seats allotted in a particular civic body.

“Say, for example, in the urban local area ‘A’, the population of the backward classes Block A of citizens is 25 per cent of the total population of that urban local area then 12.5 per cent of seats shall be reserved for BC-A category subject to the other conditions mentioned. Where… the population of the Scheduled Castes is 50 per cent or more, the BC-A will not get any reservation irrespective of the percentage of their population,” cited the commission as an example.