Jamshedpur, July 13: State urban development minister C. P Singh on Wednesday said that the state government is working on a plan to give status of industrial town to areas under Tata Steel lease, while upgrading Mango, Jugsalai and non-company areas into separate municipal corporations.
Singh was speaking to media at the Circuit House here this evening. He was here on his way to Adityapur in district of Seraikela-Kharsawan said after the Cabinet meeting at Ranchi discussions in this connection were held with the Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Tuesday.
�Let me tell you it is at a very planning stage, but as per the discussion I had with the Chief Minister, the government is keen on upgrading the areas of Mango, Jugsalai and non-Tata Steel lease areas into municipal corporations. The government will also have talks with Tata Steel over according industrial township status so that the pending case can be settled in the Supreme Court,� the minister said.
It may be noted that Mango has Mango Notified Area Committee as its local urban body, while Jugsalai is under the Jugsalai Municipality. On the other hand, areas not under the jurisdiction of Tata Steel in Jamshedpur are looked after by Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee.
Tata Steel subsidiary Jusco looks after the civic amenities in company command areas. A corporation status will give them benefit of more funds for improving basic amenities.
Moreover, the decision grant the status of municipal corporation or industrial township to Jamshedpur is pending with the Supreme Court since 2006.
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.�
�I think Mango, Jugsalai and non-company command areas�can get municipal corporation status as there are no legal issues. We will also hold dialogue with Tata Steel to clear the issue of Jamshedpur city so that in an industrial township and on the composition of an elected body to run the industrial township,� said Singh.
Incidentally, even after Jamshedpur becoming an industrial township it will come under the ambit of Jharkhand Municipal Corporation Act 2011 and will need a governing committee with representation of MPs, MLAs, bureaucrats and corporate functionaries.
Addressing media, the minister also said that within a year (mid-2017) all the municipal bodies will have LED street lights. �As per the MoU with a central government enterprise, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) will install and maintain LED street lights for seven years after installation,� the minister added.
Singh also informed that the state government will soon start a survey for identification of hawkers and plan for their resettlement in other areas before carrying out eviction. He said that they are concerned over the hawkers and will come out with concrete plan.