Five Councilors disqualified from Port Blair Municipal Council

Port Blair, Aug 20 (UNI) The Administrator of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has disqualified five elected members of the Port Blair Municipal Council (PBMC) for not filing the declaration of assets within the stipulated period.

Five elected members of PBMC had since been disqualified under section 21(1) read with 21(2) of the Andaman&Nicobar Islands (Municipal Council) Regulation, 1994, and their membership to PBMC shall be deemed to have been ceased to exist on and from the date of this order, directing disqualification, an official order issued here by Andaman and Nicobar Administration said.

On a matter arising out of non-declaration of assets in respect of some Municipal Councilors of the Port Blair Municipal Council, proceedings were initiated a few months back.

After due consideration of the matter the Election Commission for Andaman&Nicobar Islands submitted a report for the further consideration of the Administrator of the Andaman&Nicobar Islands.

Lt General (Retd) Madam Mohan Lakhera, the Administrator, of A&Islands having considered the report of the Election Commission and facts on record has passed a detailed speaking order whereby five Municipal Councilors had been found to have contravened Section 21(1) of the said Regulation for not filing the declaration of assets within the stipulated period and thereby attracting Section 21(2) of the said Regulation.

The disqualified members were S Parameshwari (RJD of Ward No.3), Sheir Singh (BJP of Ward No.4), B Eswar Rao (Independent candidate of Ward No.8), K Krishnan (DMK of Ward No.9) and M Raja (DMK ofWard No.12).

''All the five members are hereby disqualified and their membership to Port Blair Municipal Council shall cease to exist and the election to the vacancies caused due to disqualification of above noted five elected members of the PBMC are to be filled in and election to Chairman, Port Blair Municipal Council to be held in accordance with the Andaman&Nicobar Islands (Municipal Council) Regulation, 1994,'' the order said.

The Administrator had further ordered them to vacate their office in his order which was issued late yesterday.

Election to Port Blair's lone Municipal body Port Blair Municipal Council was held on 21, September last year.

UNI SKR SJC SS1117