First phase of delimitation of local body wards ‘very critical’: SEC

Delimitation Commission hopes to wrap up the exercise, which begins in October, by June 2025. Qfield app expected to simplify the mapping of wards

As the delimitation of local body wards in Kerala kicks off in October, the success of this mammoth exercise will hinge heavily on the first phase, covering the grama panchayats, municipalities and corporations.

A. Shajahan, Delimitation Commission chairman and the State Election Commissioner (SEC), described Phase I as “very critical.” It is in this phase that wards in grama panchayats, municipalities and corporations are freshly mapped and their boundaries redrawn. Otherwise a time-consuming task, the mapping will be easier this time as it is going digital with the Qfield app, Mr. Shajahan told The Hindu.

The Commission’s guidelines require local body secretaries to file the draft proposals on wards along with the maps to the District Collectors (District Election Officers). The latter will submit them to the Commission after checking their compatibility with the guidelines. “I would say that the first stage is very critical. But the secretaries can complete the task smoothly by paying close attention to the physical conditions of the wards and demographic factors,” Mr. Shajahan said. The bases for determining the size and boundaries of the wards are the 2011 Census figures and the number of dwellings mentioned in the Assessment Registers of local bodies as on October 1, 2024.

While the conditions for the delimitation exercise remain largely unchanged, the use of technology for mapping the wards is a first, Mr. Shajahan said. “It will enhance transparency and accuracy and aid long-term storage of the data. Earlier the maps had to be prepared manually,” he said. The Information Kerala Mission (IKM) is providing the technical support to the Commission for the use of the Qfield app.

The Delimitation Commission will publish the draft report on Phase 1 on November 16, and the public will have time till December 1 to file their objections. The Commission will issue the final orders after examining the proposals and objections. Mr. Shajahan is hoping to wrap up the first phase by January 2025, after which the block panchayats and district panchayats will be taken up, respectively, in Phases II and III.

If everything goes according to plan, the three-phase delimitation exercise should be over by June 2025, Mr. Shajahan said. “Block panchayats and district panchayats should take two months each to complete. These phases will be relatively easier compared to Phase 1,” he said.

In the present instance, delimitation is the process of dividing local bodies into wards and fixing their boundaries. The power to do so is vested with the Delimitation Commission. The State government had issued a notification constituting the current five-member Commission in mid-June.

Boundaries of all local body wards in the State will be redrawn based on the 2011 Census figures and government notifications revising the number of wards in the three-tier panchayats, municipalities and corporations. While no new local bodies will be created this time, the total number of wards in them will increase from 21,900 to 23,612. In the 87 municipalities, the number of wards will increase from 3113 to 3241, in the six corporations from 414 to 421, and in the 941 grama panchayats, from 15,962 to 17,337. In the 152 block panchayats, the number will go up from 2080 to 2267, and in the 14 district panchayats, from 331 to 346.

Published - September 28, 2024 06:39 pm IST