Changes in ward boundaries, numbering proposed in Karnal delimitation draft

With the tenure of the previous General House of the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC) having ended on January 4, preparations for the upcoming mayoral and councillor elections have begun. The draft notification of the delimitation of wards has already been released and uploaded on the website of the KMC. The residents have been invited to submit their objections and suggestions by 4 pm on December 18.

The draft notification reveals major changes in a couple of wards and the numbering of the wards has also been changed. The delimitation of wards has been done on the basis of population shown in the data of Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP), which shows the population of Karnal city at approximately 3.27 lakh. Since the population remains under 4 lakh, the total number of wards will remain unchanged at 20.

The proposed changes in the boundaries have sparked concern among election aspirants, with some already submitting objections while others considering shifting their electoral wards.

An officer appointed by the Deputy Commissioner will hear all suggestions, claims and objections submitted by the deadline on December 19.

“As per the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act (Amendment), the number of wards is determined based on the population data. The total number of wards will remain 20,” said Dharampal, Chief Town Planner, KMC.

He said that the claims, objections submitted by the residents will be heard by the officer appointed by the DC.

The state government had earlier formed an ad-hoc committee on December 14, 2023, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner. The committee comprises former Mayor Renu Bala Gupta, Director of Urban Local Bodies or representative and the KMC Commissioner or representative as members. Additionally, five non-official members from various sections of society — Naveen Kumar, Mukesh Arora, Monika Garg, Yudhvir Saini and Rajni Parocha — were also included. The committee submitted its ward delimitation report to the government on March 6, after which the government issued a draft notification of delimitation of wards on December 14.

While the number of wards remains unchanged, significant alterations have been made to their internal boundaries due to population shifts. “Some areas with higher population density have been restructured, and ward numbering has been adjusted accordingly,” said an official.

The numbering of wards 1, 2, 3, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 will remain unchanged. However, ward 9 will now be ward 4, ward 8 to be ward 5, ward-4 will be considered as 6, ward-5 as ward-7, ward-6 as ward-8, ward-15 as ward-9, ward-7 as ward-10, ward-10 as ward-11, ward 11 as ward-12, ward-12 as ward-13, ward-13 as ward-14, ward-14 as ward-15.