Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Encyclopedia
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. The organization is known, in short, as KMC (previously CMC). This civic administrative body administers an area of 185 sq. km. Its motto, Purosree Bibardhan, is inscribed on its emblem in Bengali script
Bengali script
The Bengali alphabet is the writing system for the Bengali language. The script with variations is used for Assamese and is basis for Meitei, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Kokborok, Garo and Mundari alphabets. All these languages are spoken in the eastern region of South Asia. Historically, the script has...
. KMC is headed by Sovan Chatterjee
Sovan Chatterjee
Sovan Chatterjee is an Indian politician belonging to the All India Trinamool Congress. He is the current Mayor of the city of Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal...
the present Mayor of Kolkata.
The KMC was established in 1876. The city is divided into 141 administrative wards that are grouped into 15 borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
s. Each of these wards elects a councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
to the KMC. Each borough has a committee consisting of the councillors elected from the respective wards of the borough. The Corporation, through the borough committees, maintains government-aided schools, hospitals and municipal markets and partakes in urban planning and road maintenance.
Mayor-council government
The mayor–council government system, sometimes called the mayor–commission government system, is one of the two most common forms of local government for municipalities...
, consisting of a mayor, assisted by a deputy mayor, and ten other elected members of the KMC. The
mayor is responsible for the overall functioning of the KMC and has a tenure of five years. At present, the All India Trinamool Congress
All India Trinamool Congress
The All India Trinamool Congress is a state political party in West Bengal. Founded in 1 January 1998, the party is led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool Congress is currently the second largest member of the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition...
holds the power in the KMC.
Recently the KMC has faced a lot of criticism for legalizing unauthorized construction largely responsible for a number of deaths because of fire. This was also responsible of the unplanned growth in the city.
The city also has an apolitical titular post, that of the Sheriff of Kolkata
Sheriff of Kolkata
The Sheriff of Kolkata is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of Kolkata. The Sheriff has an office and staff but does not have executive powers. In the order of precedence, the Sheriff ranks just below the Mayor...
. The Sheriff presides over various city-related functions and conferences. Another ancillary civic body is the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority is the statutory planning and development authority for the Kolkata Metropolitan Area in the state of West Bengal, India. The organisation was previously known as Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority and still retains the previous logo...
(KMDA) responsible for the statutory planning and development of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area
Kolkata metropolitan area
Kolkata Metropolitan Area is the urban agglomeration of the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India.-Constituents:The KMA consists of :...
(KMA). The KMA includes a large suburban hinterland
Hinterland
The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for...
around the urban centres of Kolkata.
The jurisdiction of the KMC covers the area covered by the Kolkata Police
Kolkata Police
The Kolkata Police Force is one of the two police forces of the Indian state of West Bengal....
(which in turn includes the area of Kolkata District
Kolkata District
Kolkata district is an administrative district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It contains the center part of the city of Kolkata. The jurisdiction of the Kolkata...
), but
includes an adjacent area as well. See Civic Administration of Kolkata
Civic administration of Kolkata
The civic administration of Kolkata is executed by several government agencies, and consists of overlapping structural divisions...
.
Services
The KMC is responsible for administering and providing basic infrastructure to the city.- Water purification and supply
- Sewage treatment and disposal
- Garbage disposalGarbage disposalA garbage disposal unit or waste disposal unit is a device, usually electrically powered, installed under a kitchen sink between the sink's drain and the trap which shreds food waste into pieces small enough—generally less than —to pass through plumbing.Garbage disposal units are widely used in...
and street cleanliness - Solid waste management
- Building and maintenance of roads, streets and flyovers.
- Street lighting
- Maintenance of parks and open spaces
- Cemeteries and Crematoriums
- Registering of births and deaths
- Conservation of heritage sites
- Disease control, including immunization
- Public municipal schools etc.