KOLKATA: The West Bengal Assembly is set to consider changes in the Kolkata and Howrah municipal corporations, bringing the city’s civic politics into focus today. The proposed delimitation will increase the wards in Kolkata Municipal Corporation from 144 to 209 and in Howrah from 50 to 68.The exercise will redraw the city’s electoral map ahead of civic polls and is being watched closely. The changes could also have an impact on administrative records, with the civic body cautioning that the assessee numbers of over nine lakh property taxpayers may get changed as their present numbers are linked to ward structures.The CBI, meanwhile, has arrested another person in the 2021 murder of BJP worker Avijit Sarkar, bringing renewed focus on the ongoing probe into post-poll violence. On the civic front, the action against encroachments on Park Street continues to fuel a debate on pedestrian space and street vending.Kolkata ward map to undergo major changeThe proposed structural changes in the KMC may alter the political map of Kolkata. It is proposed to increase the number of wards from 144 to 209. The changes are expected to pave way for future civic elections.For the residents, delimitation is much more than an electoral exercise. Ward boundaries affect political representation, civic administration and the delivery of local services.Possible changes for property taxpayersThe assessee numbers are related to ward-wise arrangements and there could be changes to the assessee numbers of over nine lakh property taxpayers.The KMC has said that the residents may have to keep a track of the revised details once the delimitation process is completed. The issue raises the practical implications an electoral boundary exercise can have for the day-to-day municipal administration.Arrest made in 2021 murder caseThe CBI arrested Gopal Das alias Bishal Pal in connection with the killing of BJP worker Avijit Sarkar in 2021. The suspect was said to have been absconding.The arrest injects a fresh thrust into a probe that has been politically sensitive due to broader allegations of post-poll violence in West Bengal.
