Himachal to get 3rd Municipal Corporation

PALAMPUR: Himachal Pradesh will soon have its third Municipal Corporation in Palampur after Shimla and Dharamsala. Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh announced that the state government has finalised a draft plan for the proposed Palampur Municipal Corporation (PMC).

With the formation of PMC, more than 15 adjoining panchayats will be merged with the proposed corporation.

Palampur fulfilled the conditions to become Municipal Corporation from a Municipal Council as per the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1994. The first condition was the population of the city.  As per 2011 Census, the population for a Municipal Corporation was 53,000 and if the present population is taken into consideration, it could cross 64,000.

The second condition was that the annual income of the municipal council should be Rs 2 crore.

The basic conditions had been fulfilled by the PalampurMunicipal Council for the formation of a Municipal Corporation.

The draft plan will be forwarded for the final approval to the Principal Secretary, State Urban Development Department.

After the final approval, official notification would be provided for the creation of new wards. Since it is a long process, it would take up to one year to have the final structure.

Palampur was set up as the municipal council in 1952 when Kangra was part of Punjab. Several social bodies, NGOs and resident welfare associations have welcomed the step.