Bengal Assembly passes bills increasing Kolkata, Howrah civic wards

Cities are divided into smaller parts called wards, and each ward is looked after by the city government.

In West Bengal, a state in India, the leaders voted to have more wards in two big cities.

The city of Kolkata will go from 144 wards to 209 wards, and the city of Howrah will go from 50 wards to 68 wards.

A leader named Agnimitra Paul said more wards are needed because people live in different areas now, and this will help deliver services like water and roads better.

The leaders also took back an older plan about Howrah wards.

She said the older leaders did not hold city elections for a long time because they were afraid of losing, and that this hurt the city.

For Kolkata, a separate election body will check the new ward plan and give people 60 days to share their views.

The government also decided to help people in a neighboring state hit by floods and to give former lawmakers more money every month for their medical needs.

The plan is meant to help every neighborhood get better care from the city government.