Gurugram: The Haryana government Monday introduced the Hisar Metropolitan Development Authority Bill, 2024, in the state assembly to set up a statutory authority for integrated and coordinated planning, infrastructure and urban amenities’ development, and mobility management in Hisar.
Located in northwestern Haryana, Hisar is an industrial-cum-agricultural town with an estimated population of 434,000. The Hisar district had a population of 17,43,931, according to the 2011 Census. Due to rapid urbanisation, the town has expanded over the years. Several surrounding villages have virtually become part of it, leading to a rise in its population and making it difficult to govern the town under the existing administrative structure.
On 26 February, Haryana Minister for Urban Local Bodies Kamal Gupta — Hisar’s MLA — tabled the bill. The Haryana assembly will likely pass the bill in the ongoing budget session.
Why HMDA
A senior Haryana government official told ThePrint Monday that the constitution of metropolitan development authorities, the Haryana Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) in the present case, cuts the requirement for approvals for development work at the state headquarters. The existing urban authorities — the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and the municipal corporation — can then coordinate to get all development work approved at the local level.
“The HMDA will have all those powers at the local level that used to get exercised at the state headquarters,” the official said, requesting anonymity. He added that the metropolitan development authorities provide for residents’ advisory councils, allowing residents to have more say in the development work in their areas.
About the reasons behind bringing the new legislation, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said in the bill that the rapid growth of the Hisar metropolitan area and its emergence as a nucleus for economic development has thrown up challenges for urban governance, infrastructure deficit, decentralised decision-making, and independentl -created townships. Khattar also referred to mobility and environmental sustainability problems, which go beyond the legally defined limits of Hisar. These, if ignored, can affect the quality of life and well-being of the residents of Hisar, the CM said in the bill.
“Need has been felt for a coordinated and integrated development structure with smooth interface between various departments to avoid overlap in the functional and operational responsibilities, besides functional empowerment in administrative and financial structure at the local level,” Khattar added.
The CM said after a study of different models of metropolitan development authorities in India, the state government envisaged a new legal structure for coordinated and integrated urban governance in Hisar through the HMDA.
Section 3 of the bill empowers the state government to declare any area falling under the controlled area of Hisar district as notified HMDA area and Section 4 to establish the HMDA by notification, effective from any date. Section 8 empowers the HMDA to delegate any power to an executive committee. Section 9 allows the state government to appoint any official as the HMDA CEO. Section 22 allows the state government to permit the HMDA to operate a city bus service and Section 43 to levy taxes on property, land, and buildings in the notified HMDA area.
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The politics behind HMDA
The state government’s decision to set up HMDA has surprised many, who say Rohtak, also a big city, has more development prospects due to its proximity to Delhi.
But, according to Hemant Atri, a political analyst from Haryana, the BJP wants to establish a strong foothold in western Haryana, which includes the Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa districts.
“The influence of Chautala, who used to have a lot of support in the region, is waning due to the internal bickering in the family. So, the BJP is trying to consolidate its support base there. The HMDA decision comes in this context,” Atri told The Print Tuesday.
On the other hand, Rishi Saini, a political analyst from Hisar, said Hisar is one of the oldest districts of Haryana (earlier Punjab).
“The setting up of the HMDA should not be seen as a surprise, particularly when Kamal Gupta represents Hisar in the state assembly,” said Saini.
The BJP’s Brijendra Singh represents Hisar in the Lok Sabha. All nine seats in the Hisar Lok Sabha constituency are with the NDA — six with the BJP and three with its alliance partner Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).
Who will be in HMDA
The bill defines the HMDA as a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal. It will have the power to hold and dispose of movable and immovable properties, enter into contracts, sue, and get sued.
The chief minister will be the HMDA chairperson, and the ministers in charge of town and country planning, urban local bodies, and transport its ex-officio members will be the MPs and MLAs representing the areas notified under the HMDA, the mayor and deputy mayor of Hisar Municipal Corporation, and the chairpersons of the Hisar Zila Parishad. Other ex-officio members include the additional chief or principal secretary of the town and country planning and urban local bodies.
The state government will nominate a maximum of six government officials, not below the rank of principal secretary, as HMDA members. It will also nominate experts in urban infrastructure, governance, public administration, finance, management, urban forestry, environment, engineering, and town planning as its ex-officio members.
The Hisar divisional commissioner, deputy commissioner and superintendent of police, and HMDA CEO will also act as ex-officio members. The state government will choose the CEO from among its officials. The official shall not be below the rank of a secretary.
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Residents’ advisory council
Section 11 provides for a residents’ advisory council to advise the HMDA. The HMDA CEO will preside over the council meetings.
The other council members are the Hisar Municipal Corporation commissioner, the Hisar deputy commissioner, and the HSVP chief administrator or an officer nominated by him, not below the rank of an administrator. The HMDA CEO would nominate four officials as council members. The HMDA executive committee would nominate three more officials as members. Ten to fifteen members would be from among the resident welfare associations, civil society, the labour, industry, commerce, real estate, and services sectors.
The council shall monitor the implementation of an annual plan of action for infrastructure development and mobility management. It will also make recommendations to the HMDA.
Metropolitan authorities in Haryana
The Haryana assembly passed the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) bill in October 2017. The move set up the GMDA, the first such authority in the state, with 54 percent of the area of Gurugram districts under it.
The Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA), the second metropolitan development authority in Haryana, came into being in February 2019 after the state government approved it in 2018.
The Haryana assembly passed the Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority bill on August 25, 2021, setting up the Panchkula authority.
The fourth authority of this kind came into being in Sonipat after the Haryana assembly passed the Sonipat Metropolitan Development Authority bill on September 20, 2023.
The HMDA will be the fifth body of its kind in Haryana.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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