Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC): Kolkata Municipality is known as Kolkata Municipal Corporation or KMC for short. Calcutta Municipality is the guardian of the city of Calcutta . Kolkata Municipal Corporation takes care of the development of the city of Kolkata, the welfare of the people of Kolkata, the roads, footpaths, water drainage system, electricity system etc. of Kolkata. But the Kolkata that we see today, beautified, big flyovers, beautiful roads, lighting, Kolkata tourism etc. was not developed so easily. Calcutta Corporation deserves credit for this.
Table of Contents
You need to remember that the creation of this Calcutta Corporation or KMC is hidden in the pages of history. And today in this article we will discuss all the issues from history to present day of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. How Calcutta Corporation was established, you will get the details below about the structure, expansion, administrative divisions etc. of Calcutta Corporation. This article will be very interesting for those who love to read history, you can follow our website to read such educational articles.
| Subject | Calcutta Corporation |
| Organization | official |
| Established | Year 1876 |
| Democratic establishment | Year 1923 |
| First Chairman | Chittaranjan Das |
| Current Mayor | Firhad Hakim |
| Number of seats | 144 |
| Website | www.kmcgov.in |
Kolkata Municipal Corporation: Established
The Calcutta Municipal Corporation was established in 1876. After the passing of the Calcutta Municipal Consolidation Act, the Calcutta Corporation was appointed for the first time in 1876, including the Chairman and the Chairman. At this time, the structure of Calcutta Corporation was divided into three parts: Chairman, General Committee and Corporation. Where the Chairman was appointed by the Government and the remaining members were appointed by the Chamber of Commerce, Post Commissioner. However, Surendranath Banerjee started Calcutta Corporation through democratic election process.
In 1923, Surendranath Banerjee introduced the Calcutta Municipal Corporation Act. The act by which the decision to elect the Mayor of Calcutta Corporation through a democratic election process is taken. Then in 1925, Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das was elected as the first mayor of Calcutta Corporation. Then Jatindramohan Sengupta in 1928, Vijay Kumar Bose in 1929, Jatindramohan Sengupta again in 1930 and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in 1931 were elected mayor of Kolkata. Since then, the chair of the chairman of KMC has been occupied by many wise personalities. Currently Firhad Hakim is the Mayor of Calcutta Corporation in 2023. From 2018 to present, he is the Mayor of Kolkata.
Calcutta Municipal Corporation: History
The year was 1690 when the British East India Company came to Calcutta in present day West Bengal for trade. At that time there was no municipality or corporation in Calcutta. Later in 1726 a mayor’s court was introduced for the administration of justice. When the British East India Company occupied Bengal after the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the idea of creating the municipality of Calcutta in 1765 and a service system was developed. 1773 Calcutta was declared the capital of British rule in India. In the 1790s, this body transferred responsibility from the collector to the city’s judicial system.
In the early 1800s, the Governor General of Bengal tried to improve the city of Calcutta. Infrastructural improvements were made in addition to roads, drinking water, health system etc. in the city as Kolkata was the second largest metropolis of the British Empire during this time. In 1847 a Municipal Board was formed with seven members whose aim was the infrastructural development of Calcutta. In 1863, the post of chairman was elected from among this board and the work of this board was to maintain Calcutta, collect taxes, build markets, make footpaths etc. The Calcutta Corporation was formally established in 1876, at which time the Board was constituted with a total of 72 members.
In 1923, Surendranath Banerjee, the representative or minister of the then Government of Bengal introduced the Calcutta Corporation Act after which several places were registered under the Calcutta Corporation such as Maniktala, Chitpur, Gardenrich etc. Surendranath Banerjee Road which is now in front of KMC was named Surendranath Banerjee in honor of Surendranath Banerjee. Subsequently, the Calcutta Corporation Act was amended three times in 1951, 1956 and lastly in 1980. The present Calcutta Corporation is governed by the amended Act of 1980.
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What can Kolkata Municipal Corporation do?
Calcutta Corporation consists of 144 wards of 206 kilometers of Kolkata. Within this area there are certain works which the Calcutta Corporation has to make compulsory and there are works which the Calcutta Corporation can do at its discretion i.e. non-compulsory.
All works which are under KMC
Mandatory works include water supply, drainage, construction of roads, maintenance of roads, improvement of city infrastructure, garbage clearance, pollution control, improvement of health system, immunization of children, bridges, flyovers etc.
All that KMC can do if thay wants
Construction of orphanages in the city, construction of roadside restrooms, construction of chitrashalas, maintenance of playgrounds, construction of stadiums, construction of classrooms etc. can be done by Calcutta Corporation and they have been doing it for a long time.
Calcutta Corporation: Administrative Structure
As per the last amended Act, currently the administrative head of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is the Corporation Mayor. Besides, there are total 144 wards under Calcutta Corporation and the wards have one elected councilor each. Primarily the Kolkata Corporation or KMC has the Mayor, the Mayoral Council and the Municipal Corporation as its main authority.
Municipal Corporation- This division consists of 144 elected members of Calcutta Corporation called councillors. A councilor participates in the election for each ward of Calcutta. There are total 144 wards under Calcutta Corporation, from which elected councilors hold the post for 5 years.
Mayoral Council – The Mayoral Council of Calcutta Corporation is responsible to the elected councillors. The council is made up of 10 elected councillors, the deputy mayor and the mayor.
Mayor – The elected councilors jointly elect a mayor or mayor for the corporation who holds office for 5 years. The Mayor of the Corporation holds supreme power.
Kolkata Corporation Mayor 2023
Presently, Hon’ble Firhad Hakim is the Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Athan Ghosh is the Deputy Mayor. 2021 was the last time corporation elections were organized where the results of political parties are given below,
| Political party | Seat |
|---|---|
| All India Trinamool Congress | 134 seats |
| BJP | 3 seats |
| CPIM | 2 seats |
| Indian National Congress | 2 seats |
In total 144 seats of Calcutta Corporation elections are held, the next elections will be held in 2026.
Mayor of Calcutta Corporation (1965-2023)
| Mayor | Year |
|---|---|
| Firhad Hakim | 2018-present |
| Sobhan Chatterjee | 2010-2018 |
| Vikas Ranjan Bhattacharya | 2005-2010 |
| Subrata Mukherjee | 2000-2005 |
| Prashant Chatterjee | 1990-2000 |
| Kamal Kumar Bose | 1985-1990 |
| Shyamsunder Gupta | 1971-1985 |
| Prashant Kumar Shur | 1969-1971 |
| Govinda Chandra Dey | 1967-1969 |
| Preeti Kumar Roychowdhury | 1965-1967 |
Q&A: Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Who was the first mayor of Calcutta Corporation?
Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das was elected as the first Mayor of Calcutta Municipal Corporation in 1923.
When was the Calcutta Corporation established?
The Calcutta Corporation was established by the East India Company of Bengal in 1876. In 1923, the Calcutta Corporation was established democratically for the first time through an amendment to the Act.
In which year did Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose become the Mayor of Calcutta Corporation?
In 1931, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was elected as the Mayor of Calcutta Corporation.
Who is the current mayor of Calcutta Corporation?
Firhad Hakim is the current Mayor of Kolkata Corporation, since 2018 he has been the Mayor of Kolkata.