Kolkata, Jan 1 (PTI) West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday sought to discuss the issue of separating Bally Municipality from Howrah Municipal Corporation with the state advocate general after saying a week ago that the bill on it was under his consideration and he was waiting for inputs from the state.
Dhankhar had in the past dismissed reports that he had given his assent to the bill, which was passed by the legislative assembly in November last year.
On Saturday the governor, who had frequent run-ins with the state over various issues, including administering the oath to MLAs who won the by-poll and the right of the chancellor’s office to appoint VCs of the state universities, tweeted on the Howrah and Bally Amendment Bill.
He tweeted ‘Re: Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021. WB Governor Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar after taking conspectus of the situation and proceedings before Calcutta High Court has sought to confer with Advocate General @MamataOfficial under Article 165(2) of the Constitution.” The Governor also appended an image of the letter sent to the senior law counsel representing the state in the high court.
On December 25 Dhankhar had dismissed media reports which claimed that he had approved exclusion of areas of Bally Municipality from the jurisdiction of Howrah Municipal Corporation. He had also accused the TMC government of not providing information he sought on the Howrah Municipal Corporation Amendment Bill sent to him for his assent.
Dhankhar had said, “Reports in media that West Bengal Governor Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar has put his seal of approval on the Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 are not correct. It is under consideration under Article 200 of Constitution as inputs @MamataOfficial are awaited”.
Article 200 of the Constitution empowers a governor to either give or withhold assent to a bill or reserve it for the consideration of the president.
The Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that proposed to separate Bally Municipality from the jurisdiction of the HMC was passed by the state assembly recently.
The State Election Commission recently said due to non-resolving of the issue of separating Howrah Municipal Corporation from Bally Municipality and with no direction from the state it was notifying elections to four other Municipal Corporations on January 22 but not Howrah at the moment.
The ruling Trinamool Congress had accused Dhankhar of sitting over the bill to help opposition BJP in state. PTI SUS KK KK KK
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