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Jaffna Municipal Council
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Jaffna Municipal Council
Jaffna Municipal Council (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம் மாநகர சபை, romanized: Yāḻppāṇam Mānakara Capai; JMC) is the local authority for the city of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. JMC is responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. Established in January 1949 as a successor to Jaffna Urban Council, it currently has 45 members elected using the mixed electoral system.
The first organised local government for the city of Jaffna was the sanitary board established under the Sanitary Boards Ordinance No. 18 of 1892. The board consisted of the local Government Agent (chair) and other local officials from the British administration. A local board was established in July 1906 under the Local Boards Ordinance No. 13 of 1898. The board consisted of six members, three official (including the Government Agent who was chair) and three unofficial representing three wards - central, eastern and western. The local board was responsible for establishing the grand bazaar, small bazaar in Gurunagar and the rest house.
A ten-member urban district council (UDC) was established in January 1923 under the Local Government Ordinance No. 11 of 1920. Two of its members were nominated and eight were elected, representing eight wards. The UDC had an area of 8½ square miles and a population of 42,346. The UDC, which was based in a small office at Jaffna Kachcheri, required new premises and the Ridgeway Memorial Hall on the esplanade was identified as a suitable location. Ridgeway Memorial Hall was demolished and new premises, whose foundations were laid by chairman R. R. Nalliah, constructed. The building was formally opened by Governor Reginald Edward Stubbs on 9 June 1936. Subsequently, a town hall was built on the site and officially opened by Waithilingam Duraiswamy, Speaker of the State Council.
A twelve-member Jaffna Urban Council was established in January 1940 under the Urban Councils Ordinance No. 61 of 1939. Two of its members were nominated and ten were elected. The urban council had the same powers and functions as the UDC but franchise was extended to include women. A fifteen-member Jaffna Municipal Council was established in January 1949 under the Municipal Council Ordinance No. 29 of 1947. The fifteen members were elected from fifteen wards. A lack of storage space resulted in the municipal council purchasing premises east of Front Street in 1955. The number of members and wards was increased to 23 in 1968. Mayor of Jaffna Alfred Duraiappah was assassinated by the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 27 July 1975.
On 10 April 1985 the LTTE attacked Jaffna police station, located next to the town hall, causing serious damage to the town hall. Numerous other municipal council facilities including the library, rest house, open air theatre and grand bazaar were damaged beyond repair during the civil war. As a result of the damage caused to the town hall the municipal council was forced to re-locate to premises on Point Pedro Road on land leased from Nallur Kandaswamy temple.
The Local Authorities (Amendment) Act Nos. 20 and 24 of 1987 changed the method of electing all local authority members from the first past the post using wards to proportional representation using open lists. Mayors Sarojini Yogeswaran and Pon Sivapalan were assassinated by the LTTE on 17 May 1998 and 11 September 1998 respectively.
On 10 October 2012 Parliament passed the Local Authorities (Special Provisions) Act, No. 21 of 2012 and Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 22 of 2012, changing the electoral system for electing local authority members from open list proportional representation to a mixed electoral system whereby 70% of members would be elected using first past the post voting and the remaining 30% through closed list proportional representation. On 25 August 2017 Parliament passed Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 16 of 2017 which, amongst things, changed the ratio between first past the post and proportional representation from 70:30 to 60:40.
JMC currently has 27 single member wards.
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Jaffna Municipal Council
Jaffna Municipal Council (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம் மாநகர சபை, romanized: Yāḻppāṇam Mānakara Capai; JMC) is the local authority for the city of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. JMC is responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. Established in January 1949 as a successor to Jaffna Urban Council, it currently has 45 members elected using the mixed electoral system.
The first organised local government for the city of Jaffna was the sanitary board established under the Sanitary Boards Ordinance No. 18 of 1892. The board consisted of the local Government Agent (chair) and other local officials from the British administration. A local board was established in July 1906 under the Local Boards Ordinance No. 13 of 1898. The board consisted of six members, three official (including the Government Agent who was chair) and three unofficial representing three wards - central, eastern and western. The local board was responsible for establishing the grand bazaar, small bazaar in Gurunagar and the rest house.
A ten-member urban district council (UDC) was established in January 1923 under the Local Government Ordinance No. 11 of 1920. Two of its members were nominated and eight were elected, representing eight wards. The UDC had an area of 8½ square miles and a population of 42,346. The UDC, which was based in a small office at Jaffna Kachcheri, required new premises and the Ridgeway Memorial Hall on the esplanade was identified as a suitable location. Ridgeway Memorial Hall was demolished and new premises, whose foundations were laid by chairman R. R. Nalliah, constructed. The building was formally opened by Governor Reginald Edward Stubbs on 9 June 1936. Subsequently, a town hall was built on the site and officially opened by Waithilingam Duraiswamy, Speaker of the State Council.
A twelve-member Jaffna Urban Council was established in January 1940 under the Urban Councils Ordinance No. 61 of 1939. Two of its members were nominated and ten were elected. The urban council had the same powers and functions as the UDC but franchise was extended to include women. A fifteen-member Jaffna Municipal Council was established in January 1949 under the Municipal Council Ordinance No. 29 of 1947. The fifteen members were elected from fifteen wards. A lack of storage space resulted in the municipal council purchasing premises east of Front Street in 1955. The number of members and wards was increased to 23 in 1968. Mayor of Jaffna Alfred Duraiappah was assassinated by the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 27 July 1975.
On 10 April 1985 the LTTE attacked Jaffna police station, located next to the town hall, causing serious damage to the town hall. Numerous other municipal council facilities including the library, rest house, open air theatre and grand bazaar were damaged beyond repair during the civil war. As a result of the damage caused to the town hall the municipal council was forced to re-locate to premises on Point Pedro Road on land leased from Nallur Kandaswamy temple.
The Local Authorities (Amendment) Act Nos. 20 and 24 of 1987 changed the method of electing all local authority members from the first past the post using wards to proportional representation using open lists. Mayors Sarojini Yogeswaran and Pon Sivapalan were assassinated by the LTTE on 17 May 1998 and 11 September 1998 respectively.
On 10 October 2012 Parliament passed the Local Authorities (Special Provisions) Act, No. 21 of 2012 and Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 22 of 2012, changing the electoral system for electing local authority members from open list proportional representation to a mixed electoral system whereby 70% of members would be elected using first past the post voting and the remaining 30% through closed list proportional representation. On 25 August 2017 Parliament passed Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 16 of 2017 which, amongst things, changed the ratio between first past the post and proportional representation from 70:30 to 60:40.
JMC currently has 27 single member wards.
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