Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Government has extended the timeline for conduct of elections to the post of Mayor, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to three months in view of prevailing Covid -19 pandemic.

As per an order issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department, the election timeline has been extended as per the sub-section (2) of section 36 of J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000, notified vide SO 219 Dated 15-07-2020.

“Whereas, the second proviso to sub-section (2) of section 36 of J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000, notified vide SO 219 Dated 15-07-2020 provides that the Government may, if the circumstances so warrant, on account of reasons of internal security, public health including health pandemic, natural calamity such as floods, earthquake, snowstorm or an event of a similar nature or  any other reason which is a hindrance to the conduct of election of the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor, by reasons to be recorded in writing, extend the time limit of conducting the elections up to a maximum of three months from the date the office of the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor falls vacant. Now, therefore, in terms of the above proviso of Section 36 (2) of J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000, and in view of the difficulty in the conduct of the election to the post of Mayor, SMC due to health pandemic-COVID-19 and management protocol related to it issued by District Magistrate, Srinagar (Chairman, District Disaster Management Authority, Srinagar), the Government hereby extends the time limit for the conduct of said election to three months from the date the office of the Mayor fell vacant,” the order stated.

It also stated that the post of Mayor, Srinagar Municipal Corporation had fallen vacant on 16th of June 2020 and was to be filled up within a period of one month, in terms of Section 36 of the Jammu & Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act, 2000.