Urban local government bodies :

• The Nagar Panchayat. The Municipal Council and the Municipal Corporation are the urban local government bodies.

Facilities and Problems in cities :

(1) Nagar Panchayat :

• The villages that are in the process of becoming towns have a Nagar Panchayat.
• The areas which are neither fully rural nor fully urban in such areas, the local government body is the Nagar Panchayat.
• As with other local bodies, elections to a Nagar Panchayat are held every five years.
• Administrative head of Nagar Panchayat is the Executive Officer, appointed by the State Government.
• The councillors or ward members are chosen by direct election from electoral wards in the Nagar Panchayat.
• The elected members choose a President and a Vice-President from among themselves.
• Sources of Income : (i) Revenue from taxes. (ii) Grants from the State Government.

Functions of Nagar Panchayat :

• Essential services and facilities to the urban area.
• Sanitation program.
• Street lighting and providing roads in wards and main roads of town.
• Schools in urban areas.
• Program for adult literacy and run city libraries.
• Water supply to every ward of urban area.

(2) Municipal Council :

• The Municipal Council is the local government body for small cities.
• Elections to the Council are held every five years.
• The elected representatives function as Councillors.
• They choose a President from among themselves.

Administration :

• The President of the Municipal Council is the chairman of all its meetings.
• He controls the working of the Council and keeps a watch on the financial administration of the Council.
• In the absence of the President, the Vice-President looks after the work of the Council.
• For every Municipal Council, there is a Chief Officer. He implements the decisions taken by the Municipal Council. There are several officers who assist him.

Essential functions of a Municipal Council :

• Lighting public streets.
• Planning for social and economic development.
• Urban forestry and protection of the environment.
• Registration of births and deaths.
• Restore or demolish dilapidated (old and in very bad condition) buildings.
• Providing facilities for primary education.
• Providing public dispensaries.
• Making proper arrangements for crematoriums, burial grounds, etc.
• Providing drinking water.
• Making proper arrangements for sewage and drainage.
• Providing fire-fighting services.

Discretionary functions of the Municipal Council :

• Slum improvement and upgradation.
• Urban poverty alleviation.
• Providing facilities for secondary education.
• Providing facilities like libraries, museums and gymnasiums.
• Providing homes for the disabled and destitutes.
• Building and maintaining gardens and public parks; planting trees on both sides of the road.

Income sources of Municipal Council :

• The Municipal Council earns its revenue through a number of taxes levied on the people such as property tax, water tax, entertainment tax, etc.
• The State Government also provides it with grants.
• The Municipal Council can also raise a loan.

(3) Municipal Corporation :

• The local body that provides different services to the people in big cities is called ‘Municipal Corporation’.
• The first Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra was established at Mumbai.
• The total number of members of a Municipal Corporation is determined so as to be in proportion to the population of the city.
• The elections to the Corporation are held every five years.
• The elected members are known as Corporators.
• Corporators elect a Mayor and a Deputy Mayor from among themselves.
• The Mayor is considered to be the first citizen of the city.
• Mayor presides over all the meetings of the Corporation.
• Many important issues regarding the city are discussed, and decisions regarding the development of the city are made in the General Body meeting of the Corporation.

Administration :

• The Municipal Commissioner is the administrative head of the Municipal Corporation.
• He is appointed by the State Government.
• His main duty is to implement all the decisions taken by the Municipal Corporation.
• He prepares the annual budget of the Municipal Corporation.
• He attends all the General Body Meetings of the Corporation.

Obligatory functions of the Municipal Corporation :

• Regular supply of drinking water.
• Maintenance of roads and providing street lighting.
• Registration of births and deaths.
• Providing health-related services.
• Making proper arrangements for sewage disposal.
• Slum improvement and up-gradation.
• Maintaining a fire-brigade.
• Making arrangements for primary education.
• Restoring or demolishing dilapidated (old and in very bad condition] buildings.

Discretionary functions of the Municipal Corporation :

• Beautification of streets and crossroads.
• Felicitating individuals for their outstanding contribution to the city or state.
• Providing facilities for secondary and higher secondary education.
• Providing for a public transport system.
• Providing for public parks, gardens and playgrounds.
• Planting trees and maintaining them.

Sources of income of the Municipal Corporation :

• The Municipal Corporation collects various types of taxes such as property tax, water tax etc.
• The corporation also gets grants from the State Government for the fulfilment of its various development projects.
• The Municipal Corporation can also raise a loan to meet its financial demands.