The Forum for Good Governance has questioned many provisions in the Telangana Municipal (Amendment) Act passed by the State Assembly on Tuesday, and said that the new act was not in the public interest.
The forum's secretary M Padmanabha Reddy said that increasing the strength of the nominated members was not going to help the working of the municipalities, and was not going to serve any public interest either.
"These nominated corporators will have all the rights of elected corporators except the right to vote. During the last three years, the work of the existing nominated members was nil. Then why have their numbers been increased?" he asked.
The forum also objected to the enhancement of the minimum period for passing a no-confidence motion from three years to four.
"When the conditions to move a no-confidence motion are so strong, there is little chance for frivolous no-confidence motions to destabilize the council. As a matter of fact, there should not be any time limit for no-confidence motions," he said.
In addition to this, the forum also objected to providing voting rights to outsiders in the municipal bodies.
"The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act passed by the Indian Parliament elevated the status of municipal bodies from statutory to Constitutional, and endowed them with enhanced powers and responsibilities. Providing MPs the right to vote in elections for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor is then unconstitutional and an encroachment into the powers of local bodies," the Reddy said.