Kolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Kolkata, West Bengal. Located in the capital city of West Bengal, Kolkata, this civic administrative body is responsible for administering an area of more than 200 square kilometers. The motto of KMC is “Purosri Bibardhan†cwhich is found inscribed in Bengali on its emblem.
History of Kolkata Municipal Corporation
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, established in 1876, underwent significant developments over the years. Guided by Sir Surendranath Banerjee, the first Minister of Local Self-Government in Bengal, the Calcutta Municipal Act of 1923 brought about important changes. This act allowed women to participate in the electoral process and introduced the annual election of a Mayor for Kolkata.
In more recent times, Sovan Chatterjee held the position of Mayor during the terms of 2010-2015 and 2015-2018. These notable individuals have contributed to the governance and development of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. He was succeeded by Firhad Hakim in November 2018.
Admnistrative area of Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Kolkata Municipal Corporation is a civic administrative body, with an area of 200.71 square kilometres. It is the apex administration of 144 wards classified under 16 Borough in the city of Kolkata. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation operates through its borough committees, which oversee government-aided schools, hospitals, municipal markets, and contribute to urban planning and road maintenance. As the highest governing body, the corporation carries out its duties through the Mayor-in-Council, which includes the mayor, a deputy mayor, and ten other elected members of the KMC.
The mayor plays a crucial role in the overall functioning of the KMC, assuming responsibility for its management and operations. Serving a tenure of five years, the mayor leads the Mayor-in-Council and ensures the smooth execution of the corporation`s functions.
Mayors of Kolkata Municipal Corporation
The first mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation was Chittaranjan Das with Subhas Chandra Bose as his Chief Executive Officer. Later mayors include famous names like Deshapriya Jatindra Mohan Sengupta, Bidhan Chandra Roy, Nalini Ranjan Sarkar, Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque, and for the 2010-2015 term Sovan Chatterjee served as the Mayor of Kolkata.
List of Mayors of Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Chittaranjan Das (1924-1925)
Jatindra Mohan Sengupta (1925-1928)
Bijoy Kumar Basu (1928-1929)
Jatindra Mohan Sengupta (1929-1930)
Subhas Chandra Bose (1930-1931)
Bidhan Chandra Roy (1931-1933)
Santosh Kumar Basu (1933-1934)
Nalini Ranjan Sarkar (1934-1935)
Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque (1935-1936)
Harisankar Paul (1936-1937)
Sanat K. Roy Chowdhury (1937-1938)
A.K.M. Zakaria (1938-1939)
Nisith Chandra Sen (1939-1940)
Abdur Rahman Siddiqui (1940-1941)
Phanindra Nath Brahma (1941-1942)
Hem Chandra Naskar (1942-1943)
Syed Badrudduja (1943-1944)
Anandi Lal Poddar (1944-1945)
Debendra Nath Mukherjee (1945-1946)
Syed Mohammed Usman (1946-1947)
Sudhir Chandra Ray Chaudhuri (1947-1948)
Nirmal Chandra Chunder (1952-1953)
Naresh Nath Mookherjee (1953-1955)
Satish Chandra Ghosh (1955- 1957)
Triguna Sen (1957-1959)
Bejoy Kumar Banerjee (1959-1960)
Keshab Chandra Basu (1960-1961)
Rajendranath Majumdar (1961-1963)
Chittaranjan Chatterjee (1963-1965)
Priti Kumar Roy Chowdhury (1965-1967)
Gobinda Chandra Dey (1967-1969)
Prasanta Sur (1969-1971)
Shyam Sundar Gupta (1971-1972)
Kamal Kumar Basu (1985-1990)
Prasanta Chatterjee (1990-2000)
Subrata Mukherjee (2000-2005)
Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya (2005-2010)
Sovan Chatterjee (2010-2018)
Firhad Hakim (2018-present)
Jurisdiction of Kolkata Municipal Corporation
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) holds jurisdiction over the same area covered by the Kolkata Police, which includes the Kolkata District. In 2011, it was announced that the area of the Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation would be identical. However, the Kolkata Postal District extends beyond the boundaries of the KMC. It stretches northwards to Barrackpur and Barasat, northeastwards to Rajarhat, southeastwards to Baruipur and Pailan, and southwestwards to Pujali. The entire area falls under the postal sorting division of Kolkata, with postal codes starting with 700. Consequently, the Kolkata Postal Division is geographically larger than the area encompassed by the KMC (Kolkata District) and the Kolkata Police.
Services offered by Kolkata Municipal Corporation
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) assumes the responsibility of administering and providing essential infrastructure services to the city. The range of services offered by this government body includes:
Water purification and supply
Sewage treatment and disposal
Garbage disposal and street cleanliness
Food inspection conducted by KMC Food Inspectors
Solid waste management
Construction and upkeep of roads, streets, and flyovers
Street lighting
Maintenance of parks and open spaces
Management of cemeteries and crematoriums
Registration of births and deaths
Conservation of heritage sites
Disease control, including immunization programs
Operation of public municipal schools, among other services.
The KMC plays a crucial role in ensuring the provision and maintenance of these essential services for the residents of Kolkata.
Departments at Kolkata Municipal Corporation
The administration of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is organized into 40 distinct departments, each serving specific functions. These departments include:
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Amusement
Assessment & Collection
Building
Bustee Services
Car Parking
Central Records
Ch. VS Department
Education
Election Office
Electricity
Engineering (Civil)
Entally workshop
Estate
Finance and Accounts
Health
Information & Public Relations
Information Technology
Institute of Urban Management
Internal Audit
Law
License
Lighting
Market
Municipal Secretary`s Department
Municipal Service Commission
Parks & Squares
Personnel
Planning & Development
Printing
Environment & Heritage Department
Roads and Asphaltum
Sewerage & Drainage
Social Welfare & Urban Poverty Alleviation Department
Solid Waste Management
Supply
City Planning Department
Treasury Department
Vigilance
Water Supply
These departments work collectively to manage and address various aspects of administration, including urban services, infrastructure, finance, public welfare, and environmental preservation.