Previous Year Question
In India the First Municipal Corporation was set up in which one among the following places?
Calcutta
Madras
Bombay
Delhi
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
The first Municipal Corporation in India was established at Madras, present-day Chennai.
The Madras Corporation was inaugurated on 29 September 1688. It developed on the initiative of East India Company Director Sir Josiah Child, and its structure was influenced by the municipal system of the Dutch East Indies.
Its first Mayor was Nathaniel Higginson. The initial Corporation consisted of the Mayor along with 12 Aldermen and 60 Burgesses. It was empowered to decide petty cases and levy rates for public works such as schools, a town hall and a jail.
Later, the Parliamentary Act of 1792 empowered the Corporation to levy municipal taxes and contributed to the further development of municipal administration in Madras.
First Municipal Corporation in India → Madras (Chennai) → 1688