Gurgaon: After TOI reported a quiet shift in some of Haryana’s municipal corporations, which have been pushing back against the long-entrenched practice of spouses speaking on behalf of elected women councillors, the state govt has now formally stepped in to reinforce the change.Haryana’s urban local bodies (ULB) department has issued directions to all municipal corporations to bar representatives of elected women councillors from attending meetings of the House. The move follows growing concern that despite reservations guaranteeing seats for women in ULBs, many elected councillors are being sidelined in decision-making by husbands or relatives who attend meetings and speak on their behalf. Seven of the 11 mayors in Haryana are women.In its recent communication, the department acknowledged that the practice persisted in some municipalities even though the govt repeatedly instructed otherwise.“It has also come to the notice that a lesser number of women representatives are participating in the meetings of the House of Municipalities and, in some instances, their representatives are participating in such meetings,” the letter said.It added that House meetings are meant to be attended only by elected women members, and earlier govt instructions on the matter were not being “followed meticulously”.“The representative of the elected women member may not be allowed to attend the meetings of the House of Municipalities,” the directive said.The order effectively strengthened a shift that several municipal corporations already began enforcing. TOI highlighted how the decades-old practice of “proxy participation” was being challenged by civic bodies across the state.Introduced not just in MCG but several other corporations after the new House was formed following Haryana civic elections last year, the move was intended to gag husbands who act as “super councillors” or “parshad patis” — freely taking part in discussions on the councillor’s behalf and also replacing her in House meetings even though they have no legal standing.Officials said the new directive from the state govt will make enforcement easier.“We ensured it right from the beginning that the women councillors’ representatives won’t be allowed to speak in the meetings on their behalf. Now that the directions from the ULB have come, we will maintain it,” said Pradeep Dahiya, MCG commissioner.The development is being seen as an important step towards strengthening the spirit of women’s reservation in ULBs, ensuring that those elected to represent citizens exercise their mandate directly rather than through family members.While enforcement will ultimately depend on how strictly municipal corporations implement the directive, govt’s intervention signals growing recognition that political representation must translate into actual participation in governance.
