Ranchi: Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) on Friday opened five zonal offices to decentralise essential civic services and allow residents to complete routine administrative work closer to their localities.Mayor Roshni Khalkho and deputy mayor Neeraj Kumar jointly inaugurated the offices, ending a 47-year period during which RMC functioned mainly from its headquarters and its Doranda zonal office, established in 1979.The new offices are located at Bada Talab Community Building in Ward 21, Pandra Panchayat Office in Ward 32, Bandhgadi Community Building in Ward 6, Sector-3 Market Community Building in HEC-Dhurwa in Ward 40, and near Tupudana Chowk in Ward 53.These centres will handle birth and death registration, holding tax and water charge payments, trade licence processing, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana applications and civic grievance redressal. They will also monitor sanitation, street lighting and water supply in their designated wards.Khalkho said the zonal offices would save time and effort of residents by eliminating the need to travel long distances for municipal services. Kumar said Ranchi’s growing population and expanding boundaries had made decentralisation necessary and would help ensure faster resolution of civic issues.Municipal commissioner Sushant Gaurav said upgrades and additional zonal offices would be considered based on public feedback.The inauguration of the Pandra office, however, triggered brief protests by residents who claimed the building stood on the Sarna land. Local resident Rajesh Kachchap said the ground had traditionally been used by the Sarna community for religious practices and that public footfall could disturb the site.Residents demanded relocation of the office or alternative land in exchange. Khalkho assured protesters that religious sentiments and local traditions would be protected, the premises cleaned daily and action taken against anyone defiling or damaging the area. Officials said the offices mark a shift in how civic services will be delivered across Ranchi city.
Mayor Roshni Khalkho inaugurating the Circle office at Bandhgari in Ranchi
