Tamil Nadu Government Gazette Extraordinary, No. 16, Part IV, Section 1

What the publication contains

Tamil Nadu Government Gazette Extraordinary No. 16, Part IV, Section 1, dated 6 January 2022, publishes seven Bills introduced in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on that date. They concern proposed city municipal corporations for Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Sivakasi, Karur, Tambaram and Kumbakonam, together with the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act, 2022.

The supplied text provides substantive provisions only from the Cuddalore City Municipal Corporation Bill. The publication describes these measures as Bills introduced in the Legislative Assembly and published for general information.

Proposed Cuddalore corporation

The Cuddalore City Municipal Corporation Act, 2022 would extend to the city of Cuddalore and is stated to be deemed in force from 21 October 2021. Its main provisions are:

• The area within Cuddalore municipality would constitute the city of Cuddalore.
• The Cuddalore City Municipal Corporation would be established as a corporate body able to acquire, hold and dispose of property, enter contracts, sue and be sued.
• The existing Cuddalore municipality would be abolished.
• Municipal authorities would include a Mayor, council, standing committee, wards committee and commissioner.
• The elected council could have no more than seventy two councillors.
• At least fifty per cent of council seats would be reserved for women, including reserved seats for women belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Existing laws, permissions and liabilities

The Cuddalore City Municipal Corporation Act, 2022 would stop the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920 from applying within Cuddalore city, while preserving earlier operations, penalties, investigations and legal proceedings.

Existing notifications, licences, permissions, schemes, rules, regulations and orders would continue where they are not inconsistent with the new framework, until replaced. The provisions of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation Act, 1981, including provisions for taxes and fees, would be applied to Cuddalore with necessary adaptations.

Relevance to property owners and buyers

The Cuddalore City Municipal Corporation Act, 2022 would transfer municipal property, rights, interests and liabilities to the new corporation. Existing tax arrears and other amounts could be recovered by the corporation, while taxes, fees and duties already levied would continue until revised, cancelled or superseded. Existing municipal permissions and proceedings could also continue, so property owners and buyers in Cuddalore should not assume that the administrative change automatically cancels an existing permission, liability or demand.