Mail News Service
Ranchi, Sept 11: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren today reviewed the issue of Jamshedpur being declared as Industrial Area. He directed the the Urban Development and Housing Department secretary to initiate talks with Tata Steel officials regarding legal procedures in the matter.
The Urban Development and Housing Department Secretary Vinay Kumar Chaubey explained to the Chief minister through a presentation that the process to convert Jamshedpur into an Industrial Area had been initiated since 2005 and he alos provided an updated progress status on the issue. The Chief Minster�s attention was also drawn to the letter of January 30, 2017 in which the Deputy Commissioner of East Singhbhum had proposed that 10,889.32 acre of land be marked as Industrial Township while 4,496.46 acre be allotted under and as Jamshedpur Municipal Corporation against which vide a departmental letter # 767 dated December 19, 2017 was sent to the Managing Director, Tata Steel asking him to take the consensus of the Board of Directors of the Company.
The departmental secretary stated in the review meeting that as per provisions of the Jharkhand Municipality Act of 2011, Sec 13 (3), there was a proposal to announce Jamshedpur Industrial Area as a Municipality as a result of which and as per Jharkhand Municipality Act of 2012 all provisions will be applicable. Accordingly a proposal for converting Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee to Municipality was prepared and was approved by the departmental ministry and the Legal Department had initiated the proceedings.
The Secretary further stated that the proposal was again put up in the Finance department and in the process of initiation the department clearly mentioned as per the Jharkhand Municipality Act of 2011 there was no mention of Notified Area Committee and in the matter of collecting taxes by the Notified Area Committee objection had been raised and the matter is pending in the Jharkhand High Court.
Tata Steel had approached the government in undivided Bihar in 1998 for Jamshedpur�s industrial township status. In 2006, it filed a special leave petition before the Supreme Court, challenging Jharkhand government�s notification and publication in its official gazette in 2005 of its intention to form a municipal corporation for Jamshedpur. The Supreme Court had directed status quo on the issue.�
Among those present in the Chief Minister�s review meeting were Chief Secretary Sukhdev Sigh, the Chief Minister�s Principal Secretary Rajiv Arun Ekka, Urban development and building Department Secretary Vinay Kumar Chaubey, Revenue Department Secretary KK Sone, Kolhan Commissioner Manish Ranjan, East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Suraj Kumar and other officials.