Section 66A · Constitution of Wards Committees

(1) Where the population of a municipal area is above three lakhs there shall be constituted three Wards Committees each comprising such contiguous electoral wards as may be decided by the Council. (2) Each Wards Committee shall consist of— (a) the Councillors representing the wards within the territorial area of the Wards Committee; (b) the officer-in-charge of the territorial area of the Wards Committee; (c) such number of other members, not exceeding three, nominated by the Councillors referred to in clause (a), from amongst the members of recognised Non-Government Organisations and community based organisations engaged in social welfare activities working within the area of the Wards Committee: Provided that, such persons are registered as electors in the wards within the jurisdiction of the Wards Committee: Provided further that, the norms for recognition of the Non-Government Organisations, the requisite qualification for nomination as members and the manner in which they are to be nominated shall be such as the State Government may prescribe. (3) The duration of the Wards Committee shall be co-terminus with the duration of the Council. (4) The elected Councillors referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (2) shall at the first meeting of the Wards Committee in each official year, elect from amongst themselves the Chairperson who shall hold office until the first meeting in the next following official year. (5) The Chairperson of the Wards Committee shall be deemed to have vacated the office as soon as he ceases to be a Councillor. (6) In the event of the office of the Chairperson falling vacant before the expiry of its term, the Wards Committee shall elect a new Chairperson: Provided that, the Chairperson so elected shall hold office so long only as the Chairperson in whose place he is elected would have held office if such vacancy had not occurred. (7) The functions of the Wards Committee shall, subject to the general supervision and control of the Council, be— (a) the speedy redressal of common grievances of citizens connected with local and essential municipal services like water supply, drainage, sanitation and storm water disposal; (b) to consider and make recommendations on the proposals regarding estimates of expenditure pertaining to the wards under different heads of account of the budget before being forwarded to the President; (c) to grant administrative approval and financial sanction to the plans or municipal works to be carried out within the territorial area of the Wards Committee costing upto rupees twenty thousand provided that specific provision exists therefor in the budget sanctioned by the Council. (8) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (7), the Council may, by resolution, delegate to a Wards Committee such other powers, authority and functions as it may deem fit and expedient. (9) The Wards Committee shall meet at least once in every month at the ward office.]