Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is the local government of the Indian city of Kolkata, the state capital of West Bengal. This civic administrative body administers an area of . Its motto, Puroshri Bibardhan, is inscribed on its emblem in Bengali script. It is headed by a mayor, who presides over 209 councillors, each of whom represents one of the 209 wards of the city.
History According to the official website of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the origins of Kolkata can be traced to the Mughal period, when the area was mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari as part of an imperial estate. The villages of Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur, located along the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, later formed the nucleus of the modern city. In 1698, the East India Company acquired the zamindari rights of these villages from the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family, paving the way for the establishment of British control and the construction of Fort William.
Kolkata soon emerged as an important administrative and commercial centre under British rule. The first municipal corporation was established in 1726 through a royal charter consisting of a Mayor and Aldermen, marking the beginning of organized civic administration in the city. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Kolkata experienced rapid urban growth, leading to the development of roads, drainage systems, water supply infrastructure, public markets and conservancy services. Institutions such as the Town Improvement Committee and Lottery Committee contributed significantly to civic planning and urban development.
Municipal governance evolved through a series of legislative reforms. The Calcutta Municipal Consolidation Act of 1876 introduced a more representative corporation with elected commissioners, while the Mackenzie Act of 1899 reorganized the municipal structure. A major democratic reform came with the Calcutta Municipal Act of 1923 under the leadership of Sir Surendranath Banerjee, which introduced the annual election of the Mayor and expanded civic participation, including enfranchisement of women. Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das became the first elected Mayor of Kolkata, and Subhas Chandra Bose later served as the Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer.
Under the guidance of the first Minister of Local Self-Government in Bengal, Sir Surendranath Banerjee, the Calcutta Municipal Act of 1923 made provision for the enfranchisement of women and the election of a Mayor of Kolkata annually. Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das was the first Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation with Subhas Chandra Bose as his Chief Executive Officer. Deshbandhu famously gave the position of the Chief Executive Officer to Bose over a more experienced Deshapran Birendranath Sasmal. Later mayors include Deshapriya Jatindra Mohan Sengupta, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bidhan Chandra Roy, Nalini Ranjan Sarkar, Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque, Triguna Sen, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.
After independence, the Calcutta Municipal Act of 1951 restructured the civic administration with elected councillors, standing committees and a municipal commissioner. In 1984, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation Act of 1980 introduced the Mayor-in-Council system, creating a stronger and more autonomous framework of urban governance. Over time, neighbouring municipalities such as Jadavpur, South Suburban, Garden Reach and Joka were incorporated into the Corporation, helping shape the present-day administrative structure of Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Emblem
According to the official website of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the first emblem of the Corporation was introduced in 1896. It featured two adjutant birds holding serpents in their beaks while supporting a crown on their shoulders.
On 22 February 1961, the Corporation adopted a new emblem reflecting the ideals and identity of the modern civic body. The emblem bears the inscription “Purosree Bibardhan” in old Bengali script at the top and “Kolkata Paurosangstha” below it in Bengali script.
The lower portion of the emblem contains the figure of a traditional Mayurpankshi boat sailing over wavy lines, symbolizing the historic riverine and maritime trade traditions of Bengal and Kolkata. The emblem also contains four symbolic panels: a lotus representing beauty and culture, a wheel symbolizing industry and progress, a swastika denoting prosperity, and a double thunderbolt representing strength, high ideals and electrical power.
The side panels depict stalks of rice and fish motifs, symbolizing food supply and auspiciousness respectively. At the centre of the emblem is the “Hand of Fire,” representing purity, civic ideals and the removal of disease, filth and negligence.
Structure
The city is divided into 209 administrative wards that are grouped into 16 boroughs. Each of these wards elects a councillor to the KMC. Each borough has a committee consisting of the councillors elected from the respective wards of the boroughs. The Corporation, through the borough committees, maintains government-aided schools, hospitals and municipal markets and partakes in urban planning and road maintenance.<ref name=Metropolis></ref> The corporation as the apex body discharges its function through the Mayor-in-Council, consisting of a mayor, assisted by a deputy mayor, and ten other elected members of the KMC. The mayor is responsible for the overall functioning of the KMC and has a tenure of five years. At present, the All India Trinamool Congress holds the power in the KMC. + Borough Wards I 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 II 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 III 13, 14, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 IV 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 38, 39 V 36, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 50 VI 46, 47, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 60, 61, 62 VII 56, 57, 58, 59, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67 VIII 68, 69, 70, 72, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90 IX 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 82 X 81, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 XI 103, 104, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114 XII 101, 102, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109 XIII 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122 XIV 121, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132 XV 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141XVI123, 124, 125, 126, 142, 143, 144
Current members Kolkata Municipal Corporation has a total of 209 members or corporators, who are directly elected after a term of 5 years. The council is led by the Mayor. The latest elections were held in 19 December 2021. Firhad Hakim resigned from the post of Kolkata Mayor on 3 June 2026. In 2026, as per the new delimitation order passed by the Government of West Bengal, KMC's wards increased from 144 to 209.
Mayor: VacantDeputy Mayor: Vacant Assembly Ward Details Councillor Party RemarksKashipur-BelgachhiaWard No. 1 Ward No. 2 Ward No. 3 Ward No. 4 Ward No. 5 Ward No. 6 Shyampukur Ward No. 7 Ward No. 8 Ward No. 9 Ward No. 10 Maniktala Ward No. 11 Ward No. 12 Ward No. 13 Ward No. 14 Ward No. 15 Ward No. 16 Shyampukur Ward No. 17 Ward No. 18 Ward No. 19 Ward No. 20 Ward No. 21 Jorasanko Ward No. 22 Ward No. 23 Shyampukur Ward No. 24 Jorasanko Ward No. 25 Shyampukur Ward No. 26 Jorasanko Ward No. 27 Beleghata Ward No. 28 Ward No. 29 Ward No. 30 Maniktala Ward No. 31 Ward No. 32 Beleghata Ward No. 33 Ward No. 34 Ward No. 35 Ward No. 36 Jorasanko Ward No. 37 Ward No. 38 Ward No. 39 Ward No. 40 Ward No. 41 Ward No. 42 Ward No. 43 Chowranghee Ward No. 44 Ward No. 45 Ward No. 46 Ward No. 47 Ward No. 48 Ward No. 49 Ward No. 50 Ward No. 51 Ward No. 52 Ward No. 53 Entally Ward No. 54 Ward No. 55 Ward No. 56 Beleghata Ward No. 57 Entally Ward No. 58 Ward No. 59 Ballygunge Ward No. 60 Ward No. 61 Chowranghee Ward No. 62 Bhabanipur Ward No. 63 Ballygunge Ward No. 64 Ward No. 65 Kasba Ward No. 66 Ward No. 67 Ballygunge Ward No. 68 Ward No. 69 Bhabanipur Ward No. 70 Ward No. 71 Ward No. 72 Ward No. 73 Ward No. 74 Kolkata Port Ward No. 75 Ward No. 76 Bhabanipur Ward No. 77 Kolkata Port Ward No. 78 Ward No. 79 Ward No. 80 Rashbehari Ward No. 81 Bhabanipur Ward No. 82 Rashbehari Ward No. 83 Ward No. 84 Ballygunge Ward No. 85 Rashbehari Ward No. 86 Ward No. 87 Ward No. 88 Ward No. 89 Ward No. 90 Kasba Ward No. 91 Ward No. 92 Rashbehari Ward No. 93 Tollygunge Ward No. 94 Ward No. 95 Jadavpur Ward No. 96 Tollygunge Ward No. 97 Ward No. 98 Jadavpur Ward No. 99 Tollygunge Ward No. 100 Jadavpur Ward No. 101 Ward No. 102 Ward No. 103 Ward No. 104 Ward No. 105 Ward No. 106 Kasba Ward No. 107 Ward No. 108 Jadavpur Ward No. 109 Ward No. 110 Tollygunge Ward No. 111 Ward No. 112 Ward No. 113 Ward No. 114 Behala Purba Ward No. 115 Ward No. 116 Ward No. 117 Behala Paschim Ward No. 118 Ward No. 119 Behala Purba Ward No. 120 Ward No. 121 Ward No. 122 Ward No. 123 Ward No. 124 Behala Paschim Ward No. 125 Ward No. 126 Ward No. 127 Ward No. 128 Ward No. 129 Ward No. 130 Ward No. 131 Ward No. 132 Kolkata Port Ward No. 133 Ward No. 134 Ward No. 135 Metiaburuz Ward No. 136 Ward No. 137 Ward No. 138 Ward No. 139 Ward No. 140 Ward No. 141 Behala Purba Ward No. 142 Ward No. 143 Ward No. 144
Budget As of 2024-25, the city government's budget is , out of which was earmarked for roads and transport infrastructure, is to be spent on solid waste management, on water supply and on health services.
Criticism Recently the KMC has faced a lot of criticism for legalising unauthorized construction largely responsible for a number of deaths because of fire. This was also responsible of the unplanned growth in the city.
The Sheriff of Kolkata and The KMDA The city also has an apolitical titular post, that of the Sheriff of Kolkata. The Sheriff presides over various city-related functions and conferences. Another ancillary civic body is the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) responsible for the statutory planning and development of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA). The KMA includes a large suburban hinterland around the urban centre of Kolkata.
Area of jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the KMC covers the area covered by the Kolkata Police (which in turn includes the area of Kolkata District / KMC)
In 2011, it was announced that Kolkata Police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation area will be coterminous.
Kolkata Postal District however extends right up to Barrackpur in the North, Barasat in the North-East, Rajarhat in the East, up to Baruipur in South-East and Pailan in South and up to Pujali in South-West. The Postal code in this entire area starts with 700, indicating Postal Sorting Division of Kolkata. Thus Kolkata Postal Division is much bigger than the area of KMC (Kolkata District) and Kolkata Police.
Services The KMC is responsible for administering and providing basic infrastructure to the city. Water purification and supply Sewage treatment and disposal Garbage disposal and street cleanliness Food Inspection:Through KMC Food Inspectors Solid waste management Building and maintenance of roads, streets and flyovers. Street lighting Maintenance of parks and open spaces Cemeteries and Crematoriums Registering of births and deaths Conservation of heritage sites Disease control, including immunisation Public municipal schools etc. Control Room of Kolkata Municipal Corporation can be contacted at (033) 2286-1212.
Department Sl.No.Department1Advertisement2Amusement3Assessment & Collection4Building5Bustee Services6Car Parking7Central Records8Ch. VS Department9Education10Election Office11Electricity12Engineering (Civil)13Entally workshop14Estate15Finance and accounts16Health17Info. & public relations18Information Technology19Institute of Urban Management20Internal Audit21Law22License23Lighting24Market25Municipal Secretary’s department26Municipal Service Commission27Parks & Squares28Personnel29Planning & Development30Printing31Environment & Heritage Department32Roads and Asphaltum33Sewerage & Drainage34Social Welfare & Urban Poverty Alleviation Department35Solid Waste Management36Supply37City Planning Dept38Treasury Department39Vigilance40Water Supply
Elections 2021