Kolkata, February 7 West Bengal Housing and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim on Saturday said that the state government is committed to strengthening urban governance, as he introduced the Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the assembly.
Introducing the Bill, Hakim described Howrah as a city of strategic and administrative importance, housing the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’, and said the government aimed to remove long-standing legal hurdles, ensure effective civic administration, and pave the way for municipal elections after years of delay.
He blamed successive governors for the Bill remaining pending for nearly five years, claiming that repeated legal complications had prevented elections in the city.
Responding to concerns about civic services, Hakim asserted that Howrah's infrastructure was not in poor shape.
"Since coming to power in 2011, we have brought significant changes compared to what we inherited. Roads have been renovated and basic infrastructure improved," he said.
Participating in the debate, BJP MLA Arup Saha welcomed the Bill, and said that the focus should now be on transforming Howrah into a modern city after prolonged disruptions.
He, however, said that development should go beyond paperwork, and expressed hope that legal issues would be resolved soon and elections held.
Trinamool Congress MLA Gautam Chowdhury said that what the Left Front government "failed to achieve over decades" had been accomplished under the Mamata Banerjee-led government, and questioned why Howrah could not expand its wards from 50 to 66, when Kolkata had increased its wards from 100 to 144.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, Hakim said that the party would fail to win even a single seat in Howrah, as people rejected communal politics.
The Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was passed in the assembly by voice vote.