ROURKELA: The demand for elections to council of Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) has gained pace.The civic body has been functioning without an elected council for the last more than six years. Its administration has been accused of neglecting implementation of Smart City projects and delivery of essential services. Former Congress MLA Pravat Mohapatra said in the absence of an elected council, projects vital to development of the city are not being implemented effectively.
“The entire population of Rourkela Smart City is feeling cheated. Early elections are a must to tide over the casual approach of the civic body towards public suffering,” he said.The tenure of the BJD-led elected council of Rourkela Municipality had ended on August 20, 2013. On November 14, 2014 the Municipality was upgraded to RMC with inclusion of the Jagda and Jhirpani gram panchayats. In February 2015,, the State Government had increased the total number of wards under RMC to 40 with notification for formation of seven new ones in the two gram panchayats. But, in March 2015 petitioners Birua Oram, Ramnath Toppo and others challenging the merger of the two panchayats had obtained a stay order from Orissa High Court. Elections to RMC have been held up ever since.
Former chairman of erstwhile Rourkela Municipality and Rourkela Bar Association president Ramesh Chandra Bal said in absence of elected corporators and Mayor, RMC authorities do not feel the need to perform and remain detached from ground realities.He said in 2007, the State Government with permission from the High Court had conducted elections to 32 wards leaving one disputed ward out of poll.
“Excluding the seven new wards, elections can be held for the rest 33. The Government seems to be deliberately not trying to vacate the stay order,” Bal said.
In a bid to compensate for the absence of elected council, the RMC from December 1 has opened 33 ward offices and appointed Ward Officers to deliver and improve citizen-centric services.However, former president of Rourkela District Congress Committee Biren Senapati termed the ward offices as ‘farce’.
