JAIPUR: On Monday, the state government defended its decision to merge the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) Heritage with JMC Greater during a hearing at the Rajasthan High Court. This move is being challenged by Congress city president RR Tiwari through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), who argues that the merger is arbitrary and unconstitutional.
The PIL contests the government’s notification from March 27, which initiated the re-merger of the two municipal corporations to their status from five years ago. Tiwari contends that this will undermine democratic representation in Jaipur by reducing the number of municipal wards from 250 to just 150, thereby threatening grassroots governance in the city.
During the hearing, a division bench with acting Chief Justice SP Sharma and Justice BS Sandhu gave Tiwari more time to respond to the state’s reply, with the next hearing scheduled for October 30.
Advocate General Rajendra Prasad, representing the state, claimed that Tiwari’s motivations are politically driven, noting Tiwari had previously run for the Hawa Mahal assembly seat as a Congress candidate. “This litigation serves personal and political interests rather than genuine public concerns,” Prasad stated, pointing out the use of Congress letterhead in Tiwari’s representation.
Prasad also defended the merger under Section 3 of the Rajasthan Municipal Corporations Act, arguing that maintaining two separate municipal corporations imposed an unnecessary financial strain on the state. He raised concerns about the duplication of resources such as infrastructure, vehicles, and staffing.
Counsel for Tiwari, Prem Chand Devanda, expressed that the merger would diminish public representation and governance by centralizing authority and reducing the number of municipal wards. He highlighted that including approximately 80 villages and a population of about 1.75 lakh within municipal limits would severely affect local governance due to the reduction in wards.
