Srinagar, September 29: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed L.A. Bill No. 10 of 2026, seeking amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah saying the proposed changes were aimed at removing ambiguity and bringing greater clarity to existing legal provisions.
Participating in the discussion on the Bill, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government had no intention of creating confusion through the amendments and urged the House to approve the legislation.
Omar said a key amendment relates to the minimum number of elected members in a municipal body. He pointed out that Section 10(1) of the Act provides for a minimum strength of seven members, while an existing table mentioned five members for municipal areas having a population below 5,000.
He said the reference to five members was being removed so that the provision remained consistent with the minimum strength prescribed under the Act.
The Chief Minister said the amendment would resolve the discrepancy between the two provisions and eliminate confusion regarding the minimum composition of municipal bodies.
Another important amendment concerns the delimitation of municipal areas and wards.
Omar explained that the existing provisions contained references to the Deputy Commissioner, Chief Election Officer or another authorised officer in relation to election-related matters. The amendment removes the reference to the Chief Election Officer from the relevant provision.
He said the Deputy Commissioner and district administration had traditionally been responsible for dividing municipal areas, determining wards and fixing their territorial limits.
According to the Chief Minister, the amendment would therefore provide greater clarity regarding the authority responsible for the delimitation process.
Omar maintained that the proposed changes were not intended to grant any additional powers to the government but were aimed at clarifying the existing legal framework.
“These are very minor amendments,” the Chief Minister said, while urging members not to refer the Bill to a committee and instead allow the government to proceed with the proposed changes.
During the proceedings, Omar Abdullah also responded to a question raised by Pathania regarding the Panchayat elections.
The Chief Minister said the government intended to conduct the Panchayat elections and indicated that they would be held at the appropriate time.
“Our intention is to hold a Panchayat election,” Omar said.
The Assembly thereafter passed L.A. Bill No. 10 of 2026, amending provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000.
The amendments primarily seek to remove discrepancies regarding the minimum strength of municipal bodies and clarify the authority involved in municipal ward delimitation. (KNC)
