History
History of the Comilla municipal region dates back to 1790 as a new Tripura district was formed comprising the adjacent areas of today's Comilla district. Upon administrative reforms after the 1947 independence as Pakistan, the district was renamed as Comilla district as the main Tripura district remained in the Indian territory, as the center of today's state of Tripura in India. Today's Brahmanbaria and Chandpur district at that time have been two sub-districts (upazila) of Comilla district.
The Comilla municipality was formed in mid 1890s and the city remained as a municipality for over 125 years though the number of people living in here and the density of population, both have been rising with time.[2] An administrative proposition, issued from the Comilla district administration, was passed on 20 August 2009.[3] A ministry of local government meeting on 4 March 2011 declared to turn at least four of the populated municipalities into city corporations, largely bringing Comilla as a suggestion as one of the contenders.
An administrative move was made on 23 June 2011 abolishing the Comilla Municipality as the final step to introduce the administrative body as a city corporation. Later on 10 July 2011, a ministry gazette named the Comilla Municipality as the new Comilla City Corporation.
Administration
The city corporation is run by a joint staff of elected public representatives and government officials. Officials both come from departmental recruitment and the administrative cadre service of the country. On the other hand representatives comprise the mayor as the cabinet leader, a councilor for each ward and a special woman councilor for each three wards. This makes the elected cabinet of Comilla City Corporation to have 37 members, containing 27 councilors, 9 woman councilors led by the mayor.[6]
Bangladesh Election Commission is constituted to oversee city corporation polls and election of the cabinet, which sits in the office for a five-year tenure. A new local government bill by the government does not allow a cabinet to sit in the office for a day more than five years. Rather it accommodates the provision to appoint a government official as the administrator of the corporation, to oversee routine municipal works in a temporary basis.
