Municipal Corporation Shimla

Shimla Municipal Corporation is one of the oldest municipalities of India and has passed through many slings and arrows during its last one hundred and forty five years of existence. It was first constituted as Municipal Committee in December, 1851, under the provisions of Act XXVI of 1850. Initially appointed Municipal Commissioners were Government officials. The first elections were held on August 26, 1855 following the first meeting of the committee composed of the Deputy Commissioner; Senior Assistant Commissioner; Medical Officer; and an Executive Engineer; together with house proprietors. Shimla Municipal Committee was declared as Class I Municipality on July 31, 1871. In 1874, it was brought under the Punjab Municipal Act ( IV of 1873) but there were grave objections to this constitution. In 1884, with the introduction of the Punjab Municipal Act, XIII of 1884, the town was divided into two wards viz.- the Station and the Bazaar. The Committee passed through different reconstitution procedures till the Independence. After Independence there was demand from the Public for extending franchise to the whole population. Then Shimla was divided into fourteen single member wards and one double member ward. All the members were to be elected and the president was in turn to be elected by the members amongst themselves. Elections in 1953 and 1960 were held on the basis of this system. In view of the substantial increase in population of the town, advisors to the Committee were appointed and subsequently membership was raised. As a result of re-organization of Punjab, Shimla became a part of Himachal Pradesh. Even the case between the Committee and Punjab Government was set aside by Court and reinstated the Committee in June, 1967. In 1968 arrangements for holding first elections were made and as a prelude the government ordered the delimitation of wards of the Municipal Committee into ten wards. In the meanwhile the passing of the Himachal Pradesh Development & Regulation) Act 1968, (Act No.22 of 1969) converted the Committee into Corporation w.e.f. June 29, 1969. The Committee thus witnessed its liquidation after a long history. With the passing of the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act., 1994 ( H.P. Municipal Corporation Act, 1994) government revised the delimitation of wards into 21 and conduced election.