Like Mayor post, no direct polls to other civic heads

Moving an amendment bill to this effect in the Assembly on Monday, Local Administration Minister SP Velumani attributed the change to lack of cooperation between members and council chiefs, the same reason he had cited while abolishing direct Mayoral election in June. 

Currently, election to the council of urban local bodies is conducted on party basis and the chairman is elected directly in the state. “It has been brought to the notice of the government that in certain circumstances, the chairmen do not get the cooperation of the councillors and vice-versa and thereby, there have been impediments in the proceedings of the councils and to arrive at consensus on resolutions to provide civic services to the public,” the minister reasoned. 

Referring to the Tamil Nadu Municipal Corporation Laws (Amendment) Act, 2016 (Tamil Nadu Act 8 of 2016) enacted in June to enable Corporation councillors to election one of them as Mayor, the minister said, “In order to have a uniform procedure in all the urban bodies, the government has decided to elect the chairmen of the municipalities and town panchayats also indirectly by the councillors or members from among themselves,” while proposing a suitable amendment to the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act 1920 (Tamil Nadu Act V of 1920) to give effect to the above decisions.