Patna: Vehemently protesting passage of Municipal Amendment Bill, 2024, by legislative assembly in the recently concluded monsoon session, Patna mayor Sita Sahu, deputy mayor Reshmi Kumari along with over 50 ward councillors of the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Monday burned the copies of the Bill, here at the PMC’s office. They also raised slogans against urban development and housing department minister, Nitin Nabin.
During the meeting chaired by the mayor, the councillors decided to launch a movement against “snatching of civic body powers” by passing of the new Bill in the assembly.They described the new Bill as a “black law and an attack on the autonomy of the municipal bodies”.
The councillors in the meeting, unanimously decided to pass a resolution against passing of Municipal Amendment Bill, 2024 in the board meeting of the PMC that will be held on Tuesday.
Rahul Yadav, councillor of ward 39, told TOI that apart from distributing ration cards and issuing of birth and death certificates, the councillors will be left with no power. “For any development work, we have to send proposal to the department concerned and they will hire the company for the work. People have elected us so that we can work for them. But the govt has snatched all our powers and duties. The govt will abolish the municipal fund under the new Bill,” he said.
“The govt should also stop the election of urban local bodies. What’s the point of electing local representatives, when we cannot do anything for our people, who votes for us,” Yadav said.
After the amendment, the municipal rate for solid waste will be determined by the state govt under Section 221. Violation of advertisement through hoardings will now be dealt by the state govt, not municipality, under Section 150.

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