Kolkata: The latest delimitation exercise in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area has triggered one of the biggest reworkings of the city’s civic map, with the number of wards set to rise from 144 to 209. The addition of 65 wards has not only redrawn boundaries across the city but also pushed several well-known south Kolkata neighbourhoods into ward numbers that were once associated with areas added to the KMC in later phases.Kolkata had 100 wards till the mid-’80s. The civic map expanded significantly in 1985 when the municipalities of Tollygunge, Jadavpur and Behala were brought under KMC jurisdiction. The next expansion took place in 2012, when the ward count increased from 141 to 144 following the inclusion of Joka. The present delimitation marks a much larger restructuring. While no new areas have been added, the increase in wards to 209 has led to extensive rejigging of current ward boundaries.The reorganisation has shifted several old ward identities northward, towards some of the city’s older localities. Tony neighbourhoods like Park Street, Ballygunge, Alipore, New Alipore and Jodhpur Park have all been pushed beyond ward 100.Ward 63, earlier associated with Park Street, now includes areas such as Bowbazar and Wellington. Park Street, along with Rowdon Street and Loudon Street, has been placed under ward 118 in the revised demarcation.Ballygunge, which was earlier part of wards 68 and 69, has also been shifted. Those ward numbers now cover Entally and the Park Circus-CIT Road belt, while Ballygunge will fall under ward 115. Similarly, Alipore, earlier associated with wards 74 and 82, has moved to ward 138. The earlier ward numbers 68 and 69 now cover areas such as Tangra, Elliot Road, Royd Street and McLeod Street.Bhowanipore and Elgin Road that were earlier within ward 70 have been shifted to ward 114 in the revised listing.New Alipore, earlier under ward 82, has been placed in ward 139. Ward 82, in the revised map, includes parts of Beniapukur and Park Circus. Jodhpur Park, earlier in ward 93, has been moved much further down the new list to ward 161, while ward 93 now covers Kidderpore.The reshuffle has also altered the symbolic line that once separated the original KMC area from the added areas. Ward 100, which was earlier the last ward of the old KMC area and included Naktala and Ganguly Bagan, is now Metiabruz. Ward 101, from where the added areas had earlier begun and which included the Patuli-Baghajatin belt, is also now in Metiabruz.Ward 141, which had thereafter been at the edge of Metiabruz near the Maheshtala Municipality border, has now been assigned to the Ballygunge station area. In the revised arrangement, ward 209 comprises Brahmapur off Bansdroni, near the edge of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality. Ward 200, which in an earlier proposal was expected to be the terminal number in the delimitation exercise, is now Haridevpur.Prominent landmarks have also been reassigned to new ward numbers. South City Mall, earlier in ward 89, will now be in ward 167. Acropolis Mall in Kasba, earlier in ward 107, will now fall under ward 143. Mani Square Mall off EM Bypass, which was earlier in ward 32, has also been affected by the revised demarcation. It is now in ward 29.The citizens reserve their rights to raise objections, and based on these objections, Central Delimitation Committee may or may not order a rectification process to be initiated. The issue will be discussed at length at a special assembly session on Aug 12.
