Tuesday, 03 September 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
After completing the delimitation process of 49 wards, the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) is now gearing up to conduct an Other Backward Classes (OBC) survey ahead of the urban local body elections. The survey is likely to commence on Tuesday, the additional municipal commissioner Bir Singh Budiyal said. He said that the teams will conduct the survey of only those areas which were removed from one ward and added to the other in the delimitation process. “An OBC survey was conducted in 2018 as well as in 2023 so we already have OBC survey data. To update it after the recent delimitation process in 49 wards, we will conduct a survey of those areas which were removed or added from one ward to another. The teams will carry respective maps, voter lists and other relevant data at the site to help them to carry out the survey efficiently. The whole process is expected to be completed in four to six days,” Budiyal said.
As per the data provided by MCD, there are 95,851 people belonging to OBCs in 100 wards as per the last survey. The officials said that the updated survey will ensure that the OBC reservations align with their population percentage. About 10 to 12 seats will be reserved for OBCs in municipal elections in Dehradun, as per the officials. The delimitation of the 54 wards in Dehradun was under scrutiny last month due to significant discrepancies. The delimitation was initially ordered in July 2022 and was completed in October 2023. The district magistrate submitted its report to the state administration but during analysis, some wards were found to have low voter counts while others had numbers exceeding the standard voters per ward.
Several councillors also raised concerns about the process. Due to complaints regarding the delimitation in several wards, the delimitation was redone last month. There were no changes made in 51 wards, while in 49 wards, several localities were shifted from one place to another. The corporation also received 265 objections regarding the delimitation process. After the MCD submitted the report of the completion of the delimitation process, the Urban Development department issued a notification on September 1.
