Kolkata: Invoking Article 167 of the Constitution, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, here on Thursday, wrote to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking information regarding the May 6 Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) notification.
“I still await the information sought vide my communication dated May 7, 2020, sent to you. The Chief Secretary, West Bengal, failed to make available the information sought from him. There are various representations, including from the opposition parties, as regards the KMC notification and to take a call on them, it’s imperative at your end that you impart the information forthwith as sought in my communication dated May 7,” the letter said, which the Governor shared on his twitter handle.
The Banerjee government had issued an order to appoint a board of administrators to run the day-to-day work of the KMC, the state’s largest civic body. The decision came into play in the wake the nationwide Covid-19 pandemic.
Elections to various urban local bodies of West Bengal, including the KMC, scheduled in April-May, were postponed for an indefinite period due to the shutdown.
The new board of administrators, led by ex-mayor Firhad Hakim, took charge on May 8.
The Governor had earlier tweeted the KMC notification was issued in his name, but he was not aware of it.
The letter also said make available the notification dated May 6, the entire decision making process that culminated in promulgation of it and the authority that had taken the decision regarding the notification.
“The information sought by invoking Article 167 is germane to the issue of the notification about KMC, which has huge ramifications to the entities – local bodies, municipalities and municipal corporations, that are subject to Part XI-A of the Constitution, which as part the representations, is a death knell of constitutional prescriptions,” Dhankar said, urging the Chief Minister to perform the duty under Article 167 of the Constitution.
“Your continuous non-responsive stance when it comes to performance of duties under the Constitution towards the Governor in terms of Article 167 is unfortunate and contrary to your oath under Article 164 and against the essence and spirit of the Constitution and surely can’t be countenanced,” the Governor said.
