Kolkata, 08 June (H.S.):

The West Bengal government has dissolved the board of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and appointed the Municipal Commissioner as administrator following the resignation of Mayor Firhad Hakim. The decision comes after the civic body failed to propose a successor to the mayor within the stipulated deadline set by the state urban development department.

According to an official notification issued on Monday, KMC Commissioner Smita Pandey has been appointed as the administrator of the civic body, effectively taking charge of its administrative functions.

The move follows Hakim’s resignation on Friday. Subsequently, the state’s Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department issued a notice asking why the KMC board should not be dissolved and seeking the name of the next mayor within a specified timeframe. However, the civic body did not submit any proposal for a new mayor within three days, prompting the government action.

The notice cited concerns that the absence of a mayor could disrupt routine civic administration and public service delivery. It also referenced provisions under Section 117(1) of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980, which empowers the state government to dissolve a municipal body if it is deemed unable to discharge its duties, engages in persistent administrative failure, or misuses its authority.

Following the dissolution, administrative control of the corporation has now effectively shifted to the appointed commissioner.

Political reactions have also surfaced in the backdrop of the development. Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, has been associated in political commentary around the issue, while the ruling Trinamool Congress, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has not yet issued a detailed public response on the administrative restructuring.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation remains one of India’s largest urban local bodies, and the latest development is expected to trigger further political debate over civic governance and administrative control in the state.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh