Kolkata, June 8 (IANS) The West Bengal government on Monday dissolved the Trinamool Congress-run board of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and appointed the current KMC Commissioner, Smita Pandey, as the administrator.

The state municipal affairs department issued a notification stating the corporation’s board had been dissolved under Sub-Section (I) of Section 117 of the KMC Act, 1980.

The notification further said that, following the dissolution of the current board, all members of the corporation, the members of the Mayor-in-Council (MMIC), and any committee of the corporation constituted under the Act, including the Mayor and the Chairman, shall vacate their offices.

It clarified that consequent to the dissolution of the current board, all powers and duties shall be exercised or performed, subject to directions from the state government, by such person or persons as the government may appoint.

Last week, the former Mayor of KMC and former West Bengal Minister, Firhad Hakim, resigned from his position.

Following that, a legal dispute broke out between the state municipal affairs department and the erstwhile KMC Chairperson, Mala Roy, over the dissolution of the board.

While the state government argued in favour of dissolution under Section 117 (I) of the KMC Act, which authorises the government to dissolve the corporation’s board, Roy cited Section 28 of the same Act that speaks of the Deputy Mayor running the show until a new Mayor is elected from among the existing councillors.

Finally, on Monday, the state government officially announced the dissolution of the Trinamool Congress board and appointed Pandey as the administrator for a period not exceeding six months or until newly elected councillors take charge.

–IANS

src/dan