CHAPTER - 2

PROFILE OF THE TOWN PANCHAYATS

2.1 General

The local self-government in India of today owes very little to the local

self-government that existed in Ancient and Medieval India. At the same time, it

must be remembered that the conception of local self-government was not foreign

to the genius of the people of India. The map of India changed its color frequently

but local self-government survived. Writing about the services rendered by the

local government institutions, Eliphinstone observed, “Though probably, not

comparable with very good forms of government, they are an excellent remedy,

for the imperfections of a bad one. They prevent the bad effects of negligence and

weaknesses and even present some barriers against its tyranny and rapacity.

Again, these communities contain, in miniature, all the materials of a State within

themselves and are almost sufficient to protect their members, if all other forms of

government are withdrawn. In the stability and continuity of Indian village life, an

organization is to be sought the secret of the good things achieved by India in the

past”.1

Various types of local government institutions existed under the Chola,

Pallava, Pandya and Vijayanagaram Kingdoms. They were the Sabhas, Ur,

1 V.Venkata Rao and Niru Hazarika, Local Self – Government in India, (New Delhi: S.Chand &

Company Ltd, 1980), p.1.

18

Nagaram, Nadu, and Mandalam. Their meetings were attended by the officers of

the Central Government when they transacted important business. Their

administration was supervised by the officers of the Central Government.

Megasthenes, the ambassador sent by the Greek Emperor Selecus to the

court of Mouryan Emperor, Chandragupta (300 BC), describes the administration

of Pataliputra, the capital city, which was administrated by six boards.2

The Uttaramerur Inscription of AD 919 and 921 of the Chola Emperor,

Parantaka I, laid down the regulations for the election of persons, for the several

committees, which administered the village.

Local government in modern India is now more than one hundred years

old. “The beginning was made in the mid nineteenth century in the three

Presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras”.

The first statutory enactment relating to municipal administration in India is

Section 158 of the Charter Act, 1793, which established municipal corporations in

the three Presidency towns. This enactment authorized the appointment of justices

of the Peace and to levy and collect taxes on houses and lands for the provision of

sanitary services. During the period from 1793 to 1842 no attempt was made to

establish municipal boards in the district towns.

The first small beginning of municipal action in the province was found in

the introduction of Act 26 of 1850, which amended the provisions of Act X

2 V.Venkata Rao and Niru Hazarika, Local Self – Government in India, (New Delhi: S.Chand &

Company Ltd, 1980), p.3.

19

of 1842. The Act of 1850 determined the composition, powers and functions of

the municipal boards. It would consist of the magistrate and such numbers of

commissionaires as were necessary. It would be autonomous and the government

would exercise limited control over it. The Act permitted the levy of town duties

but it was left to the people themselves to decide, in every instance, which mode

of taxation they would prefer.3

2.2 History of Municipal Government in India

Municipal administration has long roots in our country. “Indica” of

Meghastanes mentions the affairs of the cities administered by a Municipal

Boards. In South India, the celebrated “Kudavolai” system of imperial Cholas,

points to the existence of well-organized representative institutions. They were

basic democratic bodies. Municipal Administration pervades our entire life right

from the registration of birth till recording of our death. Thus municipal functions

start from cradle and end at the graveyard. They are concerned with our daily

lives for the fulfillment of all the civic needs.

The history of Municipal Government in India can be divided into four

periods

1. Pre – 1882 period when Municipalities served the imperial needs,

2. The period from 1882 to 1919 when some attempts were made to make

them self-government units,

3 V.Venkata Rao and Niru Hazarika, Local Self – Government in India, (New Delhi: S.Chand &

Company Ltd, 1980), pp.21 – 22.

20

3. The period from 1919 to 1935 which witnessed some impetus to the

development of local self – governments and

4. The period from 1935 to the present day.

2.2.1 Pre-1882 Periods

The Municipal Government was first introduced in the town of Madras in

the days of the East India Company. Municipal Administration was subsequently

established in the Presidency Towns and empowered with the appointment of

Justice of the Peace, who were authorised to levy taxes on houses and lands to

meet the cost of scavenging, police and maintenance of the roads.

The Municipal administration in the districts can be said to have

commenced with the framing of the “Improvements in Towns Act: 1850 (India

XXVI of 1850). This Act authorized the Provincial Governments to introduce in

any town, whose inhabitants were desirous of making better provisions for

constructing, repairing, cleaning, lighting or watering of any public streets, road-

drains or tanks or for the prevention of nuisances or for improving the town, a

system of administration by Councillors on these matters.

In 1865, the Town Improvement Act, 1865 (Act X of 1865) was passed.

The body was presided over by the District Magistrate and he appointed Vice-

Presidents of all the Municipalities lying in his district. District Magistrates, Local

Magistrates and the range officers of the Public Works Department (P.W.D) were

the ex-officio Councillors. These bodies could raise funds under the Act, by way

21

of levying property tax, professional tax and vehicle tax, tolls, and license fees etc

., for being utilized for maintaining law and order in the town, as the first charge

and the reminder on other municipal functions.

2.2.2 The Period from 1882 to 1919

Lord Rippon was a great exponent of local self-government. He wanted to

make these institutions as ‘instruments of political and popular education’. Acts

were passed changing the constitution and powers of these bodies and the main

functions were declared to be

i. Construction, up-keep and lighting of streets and roads and the provision

and maintenance of public, municipal buildings

ii. Public health, medical relief, vaccination, sanitation, drainage and water

supply and measures against the outbreak of epidemics.

iii. Education

The enactment of the District Municipalities Act, 1884 is the next

important step forward. Each Municipal Council consisted of not less than twelve

Councillors.

2.2.3 The Period from 1919 to 1935

The Government of India Act, 1919 provided clear demarcation of powers

to the organization of local bodies. The Madras District Municipalities Act was

passed in 1920. This is perhaps the most important enactment governing municipal

administration. The salient features of this Act were:

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i. The abolition of the system of nominating Government officials as

ex-officio Councilors;

ii. The creation of posts of Municipal Engineer and Health Officer;

iii. The grant of larger powers to the Councils to levy local taxes to open

schools and dispensaries and to fix the strength of the staff and

iv. The introduction of a new audit system with the powers to the auditor to

surcharge any illegal expenditure.

The Madras District Municipalities (Amendment) Act, 1930 did away with

the system of nomination of Councilors and introduced reservation of seats for

minority communities and for women.

2.2.4 The Period from 1935 to the Present Day

The Government of India Act 1935, which laid for further improvements of

local self Governments, did not, however, bring about any major changes so far as

this state is concerned. The municipalities continued to suffer for want of adequate

financial resources. Even after independence, no much head-way was made

except for certain recommendations by the Local Finance Enquiry Committee set

up in 1949 and the Taxation Enquiry Committees setup by the government of

India.

After the Madras District Municipalities Act, 1920 which laid the statutory

framework for the organization and structure of Municipal Bodies in the State,

there have been no major changes since then.

23

2.2.5 Constitution of Municipalities

According to Article 243Q, every state has to constitute three types of

Municipalities for different types of urban areas. It lays that “Nagar Panchayats

(Town Panchayat) should be formed for every transitional area which is in the

process of growth from rural to urban area; a “Municipality” for a smaller urban

area and a “Corporation” for a larger urban area. This Article also lays certain

criteria such as population, density of population, quantum of revenue generated

for local operations, economic importance etc., for classifying urban areas for

purposes of constitution of ‘Town Panchayats’ ‘Municipalities’ and

‘Corporations’.4

The subject of local Government figures under entry 5 of list II of the 7th

Schedule of the Constitution which reads as follows: “Local Government, that is

to say, the constitution and powers of Municipal Corporations, improvement

trusts, District boards, mining settlement authorities and other local authorities for

the purpose of local Self Government”.5

The local government institutions are known by different names. In India

the popular term is local self-government, in England local authorities, in other

places local government. In India the provisional governments were known as

local governments. In this work the term local authorities is used, which include

both urban and rural. The urban local authorities include Corporations,

4 Manual on Urban Local Bodies Elections, Tamil Nadu State Election Commission, (Chennai:

Government Central Press, 1998), pp.1 – 8. 5 Course Materials, Training Course for Staff and Officers of Directorate of Town Panchayats, The

Tamil Nadu Institute of Urban Studies, Coimbatore, p.11.

24

Municipalities and Town Panchayats. The rural boards include District Panchayat,

Block Panchayat and Village Panchayat.

2.3 Local Self Government

Local Governments refers to “the institutions of local self government as

they have developed in structure, organization and functions and in all these

respects as they now operate in different parts of the country and in different

sectors of civil life the city and the town, the district and village”.6

It depends upon the size of the population and size of the country. In

Democratic countries like India and U.S.A local finance has come to occupy their

fiscal system. In India and U.S.A the total area and the size of population are

more. Therefore they have three-tier administration namely Central Government,

State Government and Local Government.

The idea of forming a Local Self Government (LSG) institute dates back to

a conference of Local Bodies held at Pune in 1917 when Alfred Master, I.C.S.,

then Secretary to Government, General Administration Department of the

Government of Bombay Province took the initiative in setting up an institute to

launch a movement for the education of the people both in self government and

efficiency of administration.

6 Singh. S.K., Public Finance in Developed and Developing Countries, (New Delhi: S.Chand & Co Ltd.,

1982), p.451.

25

2.3.1 Structure of Local Bodies

The new Panchayat Act envisages three-tier structure - Village Panchayat at

the grass root level, Panchayat Unions at the middle level and District Panchayats

at the district level. Table 2.1 sets out information on States, which had gone in for

three-tier structure in Local Bodies.

Table: 2.1 - Structure of Local Bodies in India

States / UTs having

Traditional council

of Village elders

States/UTs having

only one-tier system

States / UTs

having

two-tier system

States/UTs having

three-tier system

1. Meghalaya

2. Mizoram

3. Nagaland

1. Goa

2. Jammu & Kashmir

3. Tripura

4. Andaman

& Nicobar islands

5. Dadra & Nagar Haveli

6. Daman & Diu

7. Delhi

8. Pondicherry

(Only at block level)

1. Haryana

2. Kerala

3. Manipur

4. Sikkim

5. Lakshadweep

1. Andhra Pradesh

2. Arunachal Pradesh

3. Assam

4. Bihar

5. Gujarat

6. Himachal Pradesh

7. Karnataka

8. Madhya Pradesh

9. Maharashtra

10. Orissa

11. Punjab

12. Rajasthan

13. Tamil Nadu

14. Uttar Pradesh

15. West Bengal

16. Chandigarh

Source: Panchayat Raj Institutions in India, Government of India, Ministry of Rural Development, New

Delhi (1991), www. Google.com

26

India, the largest functioning democracy, has 2.37 lakh Village Panchayats

with 34 lakh elected representatives including about 10 lakh women. The four-

pronged strategy of democracy are decentralization and development awareness

and capacity-building, transparency, people’s participation and social audit. Tamil

Nadu has a total of 12,619 Village Panchayats, 385 Panchayat Unions, Six

Corporations (Wards 473), 102 Municipalities (Wards 3,346), 561 Town

Panchayats (Wards 9,023), 654 District Panchayat Wards and 6,489 Panchayat

Union Councilors.

The constitution of another body known as the All India Institute of Local

Self Government was finalized and it started functioning from April 2 1951. There

are varieties of local bodies in India. The six main forms of local bodies, which are

functioning today in India, are:

1. Municipal Corporations

2. Municipalities

3. Town Panchayats

4. Village Panchayats

5. Panchayat Unions

6. District Panchayats

The first three function in the urban areas and last three function in rural areas.

27

2.4 History of Panchyats in Tamil Nadu

2.4.1 The Sangam Age

The concepts of village autonomy and rural development are not new to

Tamil Nadu. Various types of local government institutions existed under the

Chola, Pallava, Pandya, and Vijayanagaram Kingdoms. Five types of village

assemblies are traceable in the Tamil inscriptions from the 8th

and 9th

centuries.

They were the Sabhas, Ur, Nagaram, Nadu and Mandalam. The Ur was the more

common one and included all landholders in the villages. The Sabha, on the other

hand, was exclusively a Bramin assembly of villages where all the lands were

given as gifts to Bramins to enable them to devote themselves to learning and

teaching. The Nagaram was another type of village assembly, which related to

localities where traders and merchants dominated. The Nadu was a rural local

authority with a wider area. Mandalams were there above Nadus.7 In many

instances, the different types existed side by side in the same locality. This

divulges the growing complexity of the polity and the rise of townships of varying

size due to changes in occupations, industry and trade. It is also interesting to note

that whenever necessary there was mutual consultation among these varied

assemblies.

The assemblies had a variety of administrative and developmental

activities. They regulated irrigation rights, administered charitable endowments

and maintained tanks, roads and schools. They also managed the affairs of

7 Ibid., p.2.

28

temples. They exercised all these activities either directly with the aid of a small

executive committee or by employing officers and creating special committees,

when necessity called for.

2.4.2 The British Period

The beginning of Modern local government in Tamil Nadu could be seen

from the Local Fund Act of 1871.8 It aimed at providing sound elementary

education and medical facilities to the masses. The Madras Local Boards Act of

1884 was the first important legislation as regards Local self-government in the

Madras presidency. It provided for the constitution of small towns and groups of

villages called “Unions”. These Unions were anticipated to attend to the

maintenance of roads, street lighting and sanitation. The village headmen were the

ex-officio members of the panchayats.

In 1920, the government passed the Madras Local Boards act and Madras

Village Panchayats Act. These enactments helped the constitutions of new

panchayats. All persons in the locality above the age of 25 were eligible to vote

and elect the panchayat members.

8 Quoted by G.Ram Reddy, In Pattern of Panchayat Raj in India. (New Delhi: The Mac Millan

Company Ltd, 1977), p. 153.

29

2.4.3 Post Independence Era

The Madras Village Panchayat Act of 1950 was passed after independence.

Consequent to the re-adjustment of functions brought by this Act, the Government

of Madras appointed a Committee in 1951 under the Chairmanship of

Shri. Muthukrishna Menon to go through the question of abolition, retention or

replacement of district boards. The Committee submitted its report in 1953.

A white paper on local administration was placed before the legislature in 1953.

Its important recommendations were related to setting up of Panchayat Unions at

development block level, instead of having them at circles9. Two sub-committees

were set up to consider proposals relating to Madras City Corporation and

Panchayat administration. Based on the recommendation, the Tamil Nadu

Government, as a landmark in the history of rural development, passed the Madras

Panchayat Act of 1958, which introduced the present three-tier pattern.

2.5 Town Panchayat in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is the first State to have introduced a classification in the status

of local bodies as ‘Town Panchayat’, which was planned as a transitional body

between Rural and Urban Local Bodies. Among the Local Bodies, the Town

Panchayats were conferred with individual administrative powers and an enhanced

staff pattern and these Town Panchayats with unique functional characters have

been in existence for long time. The Town Panchayats were provided with well

9 Quoted by G.Ram Reddy, In Pattern of Panchayat Raj in India. (New Delhi: The Mac Millan Company

Ltd, 1977), P. 155.

30

devised accounting and auditing procedures and the service delivery to the public

has been better. The Town Panchayats are normally places of importance such as

Division / Taluk headquarters, Tourist Spots, Pilgrim Centers and

Commercial/Industrial towns. This has necessitated special attention to the civic

needs of the Town Panchayats.

2.5.1 Application of District Municipalities Act

The Town Panchayats are governed by Tamil Nadu District Municipalities

Act 1920. There are 561 Town Panchayats in the state, which are classified into

four grades, based on the income criteria. There are 13 special grade, 245 selection

grade, 221 grade I and 82 grade II town panchayats in Tamil Nadu. The minimum

population of the town panchayat should be 5,000.

Table: 2.2 – Gradation of Town Panchayats

Grade Income Criteria

Special Grade Above Rs. 20 Lakhs

Selection Grade Above Rs.16 Lakhs

Grade I Above Rs. 8 Lakhs

Grade II Above Rs. 4 Lakhs

Total

Source: www.tn.gov.in

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2.5.2 Organisational Setup

For any organization, establishment of the line of authority is essential.

The line of authority and responsibility and the delegation of authority form the

organizational structure. Here is the town panchayat’s organizational set up.

Secretariat

Minister for Rural Development

&

Local Administration

The Secretary to the Government,

Municipal Administration And

Water Supply Department

Directorate

Director of Town Panchayats

District

District Collector

Assistant Director of Town Panchayats

(16 Zonal Offices)

Town

Panchayat

Elected Council

&

Executive Officer

Source: www.government.tn.in

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2.5.3 Chronological Developments

Till 1981, the Town Panchayats were under the administrative control of

Directorate of Rural Development. During 1981, the Government vide G.O. Ms.

828 Dated 7.5.1981, constituted a separate Directorate for the Town Panchayats

with the nomenclature of ‘Directorate of Town Panchayats’. However the

administrative control of the Directorate of Town Panchayats continued to be with

the Rural Development Department at the Secretariat as they were governed under

the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act 1958.

Following the introduction of 73rd

and 74th

amendments to the Constitution

of India in the year 1993, the Town Panchayats were reconstituted under the Tamil

Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920 and treated as transitional area. i.e. an area

in transition from rural area to an urban area. Necessary amendments were brought

on to the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920 for this purpose and a

separate chapter in respect of Town Panchayats was inserted in the said Act.

Consequently though the nomenclature ‘Town Panchayat’ remained unchanged,

the administrative control of the Directorate of Town Panchayats was brought

under the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department at the

Secretariat.

33

Table: 2.3 - Chronological Developments of Town Panchayats

Year Act Status

1950 The Madras Panchayats Act 1950 Class I Panchayat Status - Health,

Education & Local Administration

Department

1958 Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act 1958 Town Panchayat Status - Rural

Development & Local Administration

Department (RD & LA)

1981 Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act 1958 Creation of Directorate of Town

Panchayats Status continued under the

control of RD & LA Department.

1984 Bifurcation of Rural Development

and Local Administration

Department into Rural

Development Department &

Municipal Administration and

Water Supply Department.

Town Panchayats continued under the

control of Rural Development

Department.

1994 Tamil Nadu District Municipalities

Act 1920 (as amended in 1994)

(under 74th constitutional

amendment effect from

31.05.1994)

Town Panchayat Status changed to and

brought under the control of MA&WS

Department.

1999 Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act 1994 98 Town Panchayats were identified as

financially unviable - 25 Town

Panchayats where reclassified as Village

Panchayats with their consent.

34

1999 Introduction of Section 4-A under

Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act 1994

To accommodate the existing council and

the non provincialised staff.

2004 Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act 1994 561 Town Panchayat’s reclassification as

Special Village Panchayats and brought

under RD department.

2004 Amendment to Section 3 B of the

Tamil Nadu District Municipalities

act 1920

50 Town Panchayats reclassified as Third

Grade Municipalities.

2005 Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act, 1994 Separate chapter under the caption of

"special provision relating to Special

Village Panchayats" in the said Act and

the same was notified by an ordinance

vide Government Gazette Extraordinary

No: 251 dt. 1.10.2004 Further, the Act

enacted was notified vide Government

Gazette Extraordinary No: 309 dt.

13.12.2004. For administrative purposes

separate orders were also issued vide

G.O.Ms.No.150 RD Department, Dated

01.10.2004.

561 reclassified as Special Village

Panchayats

2006 Tamil Nadu District Municipalities

Act, 1920

Reconstitution of Special Village

Panchayats as Town Panchayats G.O.Ms.

No.55 MA & WS Dt. 14.7.2006 and

brought under MA & WS Dept.

Source: www.government.tn.in

35

2.6 Structure of Local Self Government in Tamil Nadu

The structure of Local Self Government in Tamil Nadu comprises Urban

Local Government and Rural Local Government. They are depicted in the

Chart 2.1.

Chart 2.1 - Structure of Local Self Government in Tamil Nadu

Local Self Government

Urban Local Government Rural Local Government

Municipal

Corporations

Municipalities Town

Panchayats

Panchayat

Union

Village

Panchayats District

Panchayat

s

36

As far as the number of different local bodies in the state of Tamil Nadu are

concerned the following table gives a detailed account.

Table: 2.4 - Number of Local Bodies under Various tiers

Rural Local

Governments

Numbers

Urban Local

Governments

Numbers

1. Village Panchayats

2. Panchayats Unions

3. District Panchayats

12,618

385

28

1. Municipal Corporations

2. Municipalities

3. Town Panchayats

6

152

561

Total 13,031 Total 719

Source: www.government.in

2.6.2 Urban Local Government

The urban local government envisages three-tier structure – Municipal

Corporations, Municipalities and Town Panchayats.

2.6.2.1 Municipal Corporations

The corporation as a distinct type of municipal organization is rather a

recent phenomenon in India. They are confined to a few large cities in India and

they have wider functions and larger powers than municipalities.

The corporations are constituted by a general house consisting of all elected

councilors, one or more standing committees elected by the general house and an

executive officer appointed by the state government. The general house is the

policy making body. It elects Mayor and a Deputy Mayor for a period of five

37

years. The functions and powers of the Mayor and in his absence the Deputy

Mayor are mainly confined to preside over the meetings of the house.

2.6.2.2 Municipalities

The standard pattern of municipalities is a council as committee or a board

elected by the Municipal Voters and a President or a Chairman elected by the

council. There are a number of committees consisting of members of the council

set up for different purposes. Besides, there is an executive officer who is

generally appointed by the state government.

The national leader Gandhi made an observation about the municipal

authorities in the following way “The highest form of municipal life ……… has

yet to be evolved by us in India ……. It will not be till we have men, whose

ambition will be more than fully satisfied if they can keep the gutters and closet of

their cities scrupulously clean……..”10

“If the people had really developed a sense of civic responsibility, three-

fourths of the municipal work could be done without the Government’s assistance

or patronage”. 11

2.6.2.3 Town Panchayats

This is the third tier of the Urban Local Government. From 1994 onwards

Town Panchayats were functioning under the control of Municipal Administration

10

M.K.Gandhi, Young India, July 1925, p.11. 11

M.K.Gandhi, Young India, July 1921, p.6.

38

and Water Supply Department and was governed by Tamil Nadu District

Municipality Act 1920.

At the commencement of the amended Act in 1958, the people in the

delimited wards elected the members of the panchayat. The members of the

panchayat elected the president. Subsequently, in the year 1970, the act was

amended to enable the president of panchayat to be elected by the people, thereby

making his position independent of any vote of confidence by the members of the

panchayat.12

2.6.3 Rural Local Government

The rural local government envisages three-tier structure - Village

Panchayat at the grass root level, Panchayat Unions at the middle level and

District Panchayats at the district level.

2.6.3.1 Village Panchayats

The Village Panchayat is the primary unit of the local government. The

jurisdiction of a panchayat is over revenue village and it may cover two or more

villages. The panchayats are classified into different grades on the basis of

population and revenue. The people elect the president of the village panchayat.

12

Government of Tamil Nadu, Towards a Progressive Rural Tamil Nadu. (Madras: Government Central

Press, 1973), Chapter 18, p.219.

39

2.6.3.2 Panchayat Union

B.K.Metha Committee recommended the establishment of a local body at

the block level known as Panchayat Samitis or Block Samitis, which were for an

area with a population of 80,000 covering usually a number of village panchayats.

It was known by different names in different states viz., Taluk Board in Karnataka,

Panchayat Union in Tamil Nadu, Janapada Panchayat in Madhya Pradesh and

Panchayat Samiti in Andhra Pradesh.

The chairperson of the union is elected by Union Councilors. These

unions have been entrusted with the functions, which were formerly performed by

the District and Taluk Boards, like rural communications, education and rural

water supply. In addition, various development functions such as the development

of agriculture and minor irrigation have also been included.

2.6.3.3 District Panchayats

This is the third tier of Rural Local Body (RLB) and is presided over by the

District Collector as the Chairperson of the council. One of the councilors may be

elected as district chairperson to look after the functions of district panchayat. The

council performs purely advisory functions.

40

2.7 Administration of Town Panchayats

For the convenience of administration, the whole area in the state is divided

into several regions, which shall be placed in the charge of The Assistant Director.

They will function independently and directly under the Director of Town

Panchayats who is the head of the department. The District Collector acts as an

inspector and has concurrent powers in the administration. Every Town Panchayat

is administered by an Executive Officer who is answerable to either the Assistant

Director or The Collector.

The Executive Officer is expected to work side by side with The

Chairperson and the councilors of the panchayat.

2.7.1 Present Status of Town Panchayats

Now there are 561 Town Panchayats under 16 Zones in the state. The state

has four grades of Town Panchayats viz., the Special Grade, the Selection Grade,

the Grade I and the Grade II.

41

Table: 2.5 – Details of Town Panchayats in Tamil Nadu

Sl.

No.

Name of the

Zone

Districts

Covered

No. of Town Panchayats

Special

Grade

Selection

Grade

Grade

I

Grade

II

Total

1. Kancheepuram Kancheepuram 1 10 9 4 24

2. Thiruvallur Thiruvallur - 8 5 - 13

3. Vellore Vellore - 14 8 - 22

Thiruvanamalai - 4 3 3 10

4. Dharmapuri Dharmapuri - 8 2 - 10

Keishnagiri - 6 - 1 7

5. Salem Salem - 15 14 4 33

Namakkal - 10 8 1 19

6. Erode Erode - 22 21 10 53

7. Ciombatore Ciombatore 1 20 20 11 52

8. Udhgamandalam The Nilgiris 1 6 4 - 11

9. Cuddalore Cuddalore 1 8 5 2 16

Villupuram - 10 4 1 15

10. Thanjavur Thanjavur - 11 7 4 22

Nagapattinam 1 2 5 - 8

Thiruvarur - 4 3 - 7

11. Thiruchirapalli Thiruchirapalli - 6 10 - 16

Perambalur - 1 2 4 7

Pudukkottai - 5 3 - 8

12. Dindugal Dindugal 1 13 8 2 24

Karur 1 3 5 2 11

13. Madurai Madurai - 7 5 - 12

Theni - 12 6 4 22

14. Sivaganga Ramanathapuram - 1 3 3 7

Virudhunagar - 2 4 3 9

Sivaganga - 4 7 1 12

15. Tirunelveli Tirunelveli 4 12 16 4 36

Thoothukudi 1 11 4 3 19

16. Nagercoil Kanyakumari 1 11 29 15 56

Total 13 245 221 82 561

Source: www.Government.tn.in

42

2.8 Works of Town Panchayats

1. Pay and Use Toilets

The Town Panchayats are taking action to locate the open places, which are

used for letting of urine and night soil. The said open places which are nearer to

Schools / Markets / Water Supply Sources / other important places such as

Temples should not be allowed for letting of urine and night soil. So, the public

are advised to use “pay and use toilets” to avoid the spread of diseases.

The action being taken to identify the places where open air defecation is

prevalent and to provide infrastructure facilities to stop open air defecation and

necessary action may be taken in each town panchayat to declare certain slums,

wards, schools as " fully sanitised area" in a phased manner.

2. Health and Sanitation

In order to create public awareness on Urban Hygiene and Sanitation, the

Executive Officers concerned have been instructed to issue necessary pamphlets /

and install name boards reiterating the following points to touch the minds of the

public. i. Avoid using open places as urinals, ii. Avoid accumulation of waste,

iii. Avoid dumping of waste, iv. Create awareness among children using Toilets

& Sanitation in general.

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3. Solid Waste Management

One of the major problems we face today is the "Management" of solid

wastes arising out of domestic, commercial and industrial activities. Due to the

increase in packaging of consumer/commercial products and explosion of

industrial growth, the local authorities, though committed, are unable to cope with

their disposal. In order to contain this menace, the Ministry of Environment and

Forests has formulated a set of rules with regard to 'Management and Handling' of

Urban area solid wastes.

Storage of Solid Waste by Town Panchayat

i) Storage facilities shall be created and established by taking into account

the quantity of waste generated in a given area and the population density.

Storage bins shall be so placed that it is accessible to users.

ii) Storage facilities to be set up by town panchayats authorities or any

other agency shall be so designed that wastes stored are not exposed to open

atmosphere and shall be aesthetically acceptable and user friendly

iii) Storage facilities or 'bins' shall have 'easy to operate' design for

handling, transfer and transportation of waste. Bins for storage of biodegradable

wastes shall be painted green, those for storage of recyclable wastes shall be

painted white and those for storage of other wastes shall be painted black

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iv) Manual handling of wastes shall be prohibited. If unavoidable due to

constraints, manual handling shall be carried out under proper precaution with due

care for the safety of workers.

Processing of Solid Waste by Town Panchayat

i) The biodegradable wastes shall be processed by composting,

vermin-composting, anaerobic digestion or any other appropriate biological

processing for the stablisation of wastes.

ii) Mixed waste containing recoverable resources shall follow the route of

recycling. Incineration with or without energy recovery including pellitisation can

also be used for processing wastes in specific cases.

Disposal of Solid Waste

Land filling shall be restricted to non-biodegradable, inert waste and other

waste that are not suitable either for recycling or for biological processing. Land

filling shall also be carried out with the residue of waste processing facilities as

well as pre-processing rejects from waste processing facilities.

4. Rain Water Harvesting

An old technology is gaining popularity in a new way. Rainwater

harvesting is enjoying a renaissance in the world, but it traces its history to biblical

times. Extensive rainwater harvesting apparatus existed 4000 years ago in the

Palestine and Greece. In ancient Rome, residences were built with individual

45

cisterns and paved courtyards to capture rainwater to augment water from city's

aqueducts. As early as the third millennium BC, farming communities in

Baluchistan and Kutch impounded rainwater and used it for irrigation purposes.

Artificial recharge to ground water is a process by which the ground water

table is raised. Any man-made scheme or facility that adds water to an aquifer may

be considered to be an artificial recharge system.

Ground water exploitation is inevitable in urban areas. But the groundwater

potential is getting reduced due to urbanisation resulting in over exploitation.

Hence, a strategy to implement the groundwater recharge, in a major way need to

be launched with concerted efforts by various Governmental and Non-

Governmental Agencies and Public at large to build up the water table and make

the groundwater resource, a reliable and sustainable source for supplementing

water supply needs of the urban dwellers.

Recharge of groundwater through storm run off and roof top water

collection, diversion and collection of run off into dry tanks, play grounds, parks

and other vacant places are to be implemented by Town Panchayats/

Municipalities /Municipal Corporations and other Government Establishments

with special efforts.

The Town Panchayats / Municipalities / Municipal Corporations will help

the citizens and builders to adopt suitable recharge method in one's own house or

building through demonstration and offering subsidies for materials and

incentives, if possible.

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2.9 Profile of Thoothukudi District

The district of Thoothukudi is situated in the extreme south-eastern corner

of Tamil Nadu state. It is bounded on the north by the districts of Tirunelveli,

Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram, on the east and south-east by Gulf of Mannar

and on the west and south-west by the district of Tirunelveli. The total area of this

district is 4621 sq. kms and the administrative headquarters is an urban

agglomeration and also one of the taluk headquarters within the district.

There are three municipalities, 12 Panchayat Unions, 19 Town

Panchayats, 408 Village Panchayats, 40 Revenue Firkas and 468 Revenue Villages

in this district. For the purpose of election, this district is divided into seven

Assembly constituencies namely Vilathikulam, Ottapidaram, Kovilpatti,

Tiruchendur, Srivaikuntam and Thoothukudi and three Parliamentary

Constituencies namely Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Sivakasi.

Demographic Situation

As per 2001census, Thoothukudi district had a population of 15,72,773

persons of which 7,66,823 were male and 8,05,450 were female. The rural

population accounted for 9,07,500 persons while urban population was 6,64,773.

The density of population in the district was 340 persons per square kilometer.13

13

District Statistical Hand Book 2002 - 03, Thoothukudi District.

47

Map: 2.1 – Area of Study

48

Education

In this district the percentage of effective literacy (excluding children in

the age group 1 - 6) is 74 per cent. The number of educational institutions in this

district are as follows: 12 Arts and Science Colleges, one Medical College, three

Engineering Colleges, one Agriculture College, one Fisheries College, one

College for Special Education, 1076 Primary Schools, 284 Middle Schools,

73 High Schools, 97 Higher Secondary Schools, three Teachers Training

Colleges and two Government Polytechnic colleges. A Government Polytechnic

college in the name of the greatest Tamil Poet Subramania Bharathiyar is

functioning from 1982 exclusively for girls at Ettayapuram.

Literacy

Thoothukudi district ranks second in literacy in the state with 81 per cent of

the population being literate.

Table: 2.6 - Literacy Rate in Thoothukudi District

(in percentage)

Category

Literacy Rate

Male Female Total

Tamil Nadu (State) 82.33 64.55 73.47

Thoothukudi (District) 88.66 75.64 81.96

Source: Tamil Nadu – An Economic Appraisal, 2003 - 04 Department of Evaluation and

Applied Research (DEAR) Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Pp.S4 – S5.

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Employment

The number of workers in the district was 6,73,682 in the year 2005 of

which 4,30,386 were male and 2,43,296 were female. There were 4,28,883 rural

workers and 2,44,799 urban workers in this district. The employment pattern

shows that there were 71,315 cultivators, 1,67,387 landless agricultural labourers,

45,783 persons in household industry, and 3,89,197 other workers. There were

88,944 marginal workers and 89,206 non-workers.14

Climate and Rainfall

The climate of Thoothukudi is neither too hot nor too cold. During the

months of April, May and June Thoothukudi district is hot. During winter, that is,

in the months of December and January, the climate is pleasant.

The maximum average temperature is 35.70 C and the minimum average is

24.50 C. The rainfall is high in the coastal taluks namely Thoothukudi and

Tiruchendur. The normal rainfall of the district is 655.7mm but the actual rainfall

varies year to year, and the variation is large.15

2.10 Town Panchayat in Thoothukudi District - A Profile

The following table displays the profile of town panchayats in the district.

The district comprises three revenue divisions and 19 town panchayats. The town

panchayats include a number of hamlets also.

14

District Statistical Hand Book 2002 - 03, Thoothukudi District. 15

District Statistical Hand Book 2003 - 04, Thoothukudi District.

50

Table: 2.7 – Profile of Town Panchayats in Thoothukudi District

Name of the

Revenue

Division

Name of the

Town Panchayat

Grade No of

Wards

No. of

Hamlets

No. of

Houses

Kovilpatti Ettayapuram Selection 15 1 3,173

Kadambur I 12 3 1,138

Kalugumalai Selection 15 2 3,583

Kayathar I 15 3 2,145

V. Pudur I 15 1 2,023

Vilathikulam Selection 15 3 3,277

Sub total (a) 87 13 15,339

Thoothukudi Eral Selection 15 2 2,152

Perungulam II 15 14 1,457

Sawyerpuram Selection 15 17 2,837

Srivaikuntam Selection 18 17 3,805

Sub total (b) 63 50 10,251

Tiruchendur Alwarthirunagiri I 15 6 2,094

Arumuganeri Selection 18 10 5,894

Authoor Selection 15 6 2,202

Kannam II 12 10 885

Nazareth Selection 18 13 3,821

Sathankulam Selection 15 1 3,223

Thenthiruperai II 12 9 1,266

Tiruchendur Special 21 14 6,891

Udankudi Selection 18 24 4,246

Sub total (c) 144 93 30,522

Total (a+b+c) 294 156 56,112

Source: www.Government.ac.in

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As per the table 2.7 that, Kovilpatti division comprises six town panchayats

namely Ettayapuram, Kadambur, Kalugumalai, Kayathar, V. Pudur and

Vilathikulam out of which three are selection grade town panchayats and the

remaining three are Grade I town panchayats. All the town panchayats of the

revenue division have 87 wards, 13 hamlets and 15,339 dwelling places.

Thoothukudi revenue division contains four town panchayats. Three of

them are selection grade and the remaining one is a grade II town panchayat.

There are a total of 63 wards and 50 hamlets in all the town panchayats and the

number of dwelling places is 10,251.

Tiruchendur is the only revenue division having all grades of town

panchayats. It has nine town panchayats. There are one special grade town

panchayat, five selection grade town panchayats, one Grade I and two Grade II

town panchayats. This revenue division has the maximum number of wards ie.144,

93 hamlets and a household of 30,522.

2.11 An Overview

In this chapter the researcher has discussed the history and development of

local bodies in the country and the state. The structure and the administration of

local self-government especially town panchayat in Tamil Nadu have been

explained in detail. All-important functions of the town panchayats as well as the

district topography are also incorporated in this chapter.