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Town Panchayats Administration

Introduction

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.

The Town Panchayats were conferred with individual administrative powers and unique functional characters have been in existence for over a century. The Town Panchayats adopt well devised accounting and auditing procedures and the service delivery to the public has been better.

Town Panchayats are under the administrative control Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, at Govt. level.

The Town Panchayats are 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.

District Municipalities Act

The Town Panchayats are governed by Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act 1920. There are 490 Town Panchayats in the state which are classified into four grades, based on the income criteria :

[Grades of Town Panchayats as per the present Reclassification notification issued vide Tamil Nadu Government Gazette No.9 Dated.2.3.2016 (Ordinary)]

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, all 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.

Now there are 490 Town Panchayats in the 17 Zones and classified as below:

Importance of the Department

Town Panchayats are drivers of economic growth and offer opportunities for social and cultural development of people. The Total population of the Town Panchayats is 69,24,178, which accounts for 9.59% of the total population of the State as per 2011 Census and 19.24% in Urban Population. There has been huge flow of floating population to all these towns from adjoining rural areas. Many of the Town Panchayats are of Tourism, Pilgrim importance and heritage towns and also the economic, industrial clusters. It is therefore, necessary to provide adequate infrastructure facilities such as water supply, sanitation, roads, street lighting and other public amenities such as Slaughter houses, Burial / Cremation Ground, bus stands, Shanties. The Government proposes to adopt a holistic approach covering all civic amenities and infrastructure to these towns.

Activities of the Department

Town Panchayats Department formulates and implements responsive programmes, services and activities to facilitate urban communities to bring about positive change and strengthen their social and economic fabrics. In this effort the department has very effectively used all the available resources, funds and grants that have been provided under various schemes by Government of India, besides adding State Financial resources wherever needed, and funds and financial resources are ploughed into the developmental efforts of Town Panchayats for better delivery of cure amenities.

Objective and goal of Town Panchayat Department:

• To ensure responsive, accountable, transparent and people-friendly civic administration.
• To develop administration that takes the citizens into total confidence, in all the schemes implementation in Town Panchayats.

Administrative set up

1. State level

   The Secretary to Government, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department is in charge of Town Panchayats, as Administrative head at Secretariat and the Director of Town Panchayats is the Head of Department (HOD) at State level and he is also Inspector of Town Panchayats, to review and monitor the activities relating to the development programmes implemented through Town Panchayats.

2. District Level / Zone level

   The Collectors are the administrative head of Town Panchayat Administration at District Level and he is assisted by a Zonal Assistant Director of Town Panchayats.

3. Town Panchayats Level

   Executive Officer of the Town Panchayats is the Executive authority of the Town Panchayat. He is assisted by Head Clerk, Junior Assistant, Bill Collector, Typist for the maintenance of records, Collection of taxes, maintenance of assets and in ensuring the publicity and propaganda and in implementation of Government Programmes.

Functions of Town Panchayats

The Town Panchayats are responsible in delivery of the following civic services:

• Providing Basic Amenities
• Roads
• Street Lights
• Water Supply
• Public Health
• Drainage
• Granting of Building Licenses
• Levying of Taxes
• Property Tax
• Vacant Land Tax
• Profession Tax
• Non Tax
• Water Charges
• Issuing Birth & Death Certificates
• Issuing Dangerous & Offensive Trade Licenses
• Implementation of State / Central Schemes

Sources of Revenue of Town Panchayats

The revenue of the Town Panchayats is derived from the sources as below:

• Property Tax
• Professional Tax
• License Fees, Rents and other charges such as water charges
• Surcharge on Stamp duty
• Devolution grants from the Government
• Other miscellaneous incomes such as interest on deposits