RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, May 4: The Jharkhand High Court will hear a joint petition of former Ranchi Municipal Corporation ward councillors demanding their tenure extension on May 8.
Justice Rajesh Shanker fixed the date of the hearing after advocate Vinod Singh, appearing on behalf of councillors, requested for early hearing in the matter saying that in the absence of councillors, people are suffering and conducting an election after a triple test is time taking.
The petition was filed last week after the five-year term of 53 councillors of the corporation ended on April 28 but the state government failed to conduct the election on time causing deprivation of people from their representatives in local bodies handling their day-to-day problems. The list of petitioners included Vinod Singh, Sunil Yadav, Arun Kumar Jha and others.
The petition mentions the government’s failure in conducting local body elections despite sufficient provisions under Section 20 of the Ranchi Municipal Act. It has been said in the petition that due to the non-election of the corporation, many works have been affected. All the work related to the public has been handed over to the officers and common people having no approach to government officials face problems or have to run for the work to the office which was earlier being done in their respective wards.
