37. Municipal Corporation:
The Municipal Corporation collects money in different ways to provide and run the _____. *A _____ is a sum of money that people pay to the government for the services it renders. *People who own homes have to pay _____ tax and water taxes. *There are also taxes for _____ and other amenities. *Rich people account for property taxes, a much wider population pays more _____ taxes.
Answers
Answer:
Chapter 7
Urban
Administration
ne lazy Sunday afternoon Mala
and her friends Shankar, Jehangir
and Rehana were playing a game of
cricket in the street.
Shankar had bowled a good over
and although he nearly managed to get
Rehana out, she was still batting.
Frustrated, he bowled a short ball and
hoped she would hit it for an easy catch.
Instead, Rehana hit the ball so hard and
so high that the street light broke.
Rehana screamed, "Oh no, look what
I've done!" Shankar said, "Yes! we forgot
to make a rule that if you break the
street light you are automatically out."
But Mala, Jehangir and Rehana were
more worried about what had happened
and they told Shankar he'd better stop
thinking about the wicket.
Last week they had broken Nirmala
Mausi's window and had spent their
pocket money to have it replaced. Would
they have to dish out money again from
their pockets? But who would they pay
this to? To whom did the lights on the
streets belong? Who changed them?
Rehana's house was the closest and
they ran and told her mother what had
happened. Rehana's mother said, "I
don't really know these things in great
A city is much bigger than a village and more spread
out. A city has crowded markets, many buses and
cars, water and electricity facilities, traffic control
and hospitals. Have you ever wondered who is
responsible for running all this? Do you know how
decisions are made? How the planning is done?
Who are the people who do all the work? Read this
chapter and find some answers.
O
2020-21
detail but I do know that it is the
Municipal Corporation of the city that
takes care of replacing lights. The best
person to ask would be Yasmin Khala.
She just retired from the Municipal
Corporation. Go and ask her, and
Rehana come back home soon."
Yasmin Khala lived in the same lane
and she and Rehana's mother were
good friends. The children ran to
Khala's house and when she opened
the door they began to tell her what
had happened all at once! When they
asked about the street light, Yasmin
Khala laughed and said, "There is no
one person that you can pay the money
to. There is a big organisation called
the Municipal Corporation that takes
care of street lights, garbage collection,
water supply, keeping the streets and
the market clean."
"I've heard about the Municipal
Corporation. They've put up signs
around the city to inform people about
malaria," said Mala.
"Yes, you are quite right. The
Municipal Corporation is also
responsible for ensuring that diseases
do not break out in the city. It also runs
schools, hospitals and dispensaries.
And makes gardens and maintains
them," said Yasmin Khala. Then she
added, "Our city Pune is a big city and
so here it is called a Municipal
Corporation. In smaller towns it is
called a Municipal Council."
The Ward Councillor and
Administrative Staff
"Yasmin Khala, I'm curious. Who
decides where a park should go? Did
you have to make interesting decisions
like this when you worked in the
Municipal Corporation?" asked
Rehana.
"No Rehana, I was working in the
accounts office of the Corporation so I
just worked on pay slips. Cities are
usually quite large so the Municipal
Corporation has to make a lot of
decisions as well as do a lot of work to
keep the city clean. The decisions like
where a park or a new hospital should
go are usually made by the Ward
Councillors."
List at least four different tasks
that the Municipality does:
1.
2.
3.
58 / Social and Political Life
2020-21
The city is divided into different
wards and ward councillors get
elected. The complicated decisions that
affect the entire city are taken by
groups of councillors who form committees to decide and debate issues. For
example, if bus stands need to be
improved, or a crowded market-place
needs to have its garbage cleared more
regularly, or there is a 'nala' or drain
that cuts through the city that needs
cleaning etc.