Section 54 in The Gujarat Municipalities Act, 1963
54. Pilgrim Committee.
(1)In every municipality notified by the State Government in this behalf there shall be a committee called the Pilgrim Committee consisting of four councillors of whom one shall be the President of the municipality and the other three shall be elected in accordance with rules made under clause (a) of section 271 and of two persons appointed by the State Government, both of whom may be salaried servants of the Government.(2)The members of the Pilgrim Committee shall hold office for the duration of the municipality and thereafter up to the date on which the new Pilgrim Committee is constituted in accordance with the provisions of this section.(3)In the case of supersession of the municipality or of the Pilgrim Committee, a new Pilgrim Committee shall be constituted by the [Director] [This word was substituted for the words 'Development Commissioner' by Gujarat 6 of 1965, section 5.] such Committee shall consist of six persons nominated by the [Director] [This word was substituted for the words 'Development Commissioner' by Gujarat 6 of 1965, section 5.] and shall continue until the municipality is reestablished, and a new Pilgrim Committee is constituted in accordance with the provisions of this section, or in case of supersession of the Pilgrim Committee, until the Pilgrim Committee is re-established.(4)The Pilgrim Committee shall manage and administer the Pilgrim fund established under proviso (c) to section 82 and shall exercise the powers and perform the duties of the municipality in respect of the said fund and of works constructed or maintained out of the said fund and shall exercise such other powers and perform such other duties as may be allotted to it by the municipality subject to such limitations and restrictions as may be prescribed by the municipality by rules made in this behalf under clause (b) of section 271.(5)All the provisions of this Act relating to the duties, powers, liabilities, disqualifications and disabilities of councillors shall be applicable, so far as may be, to the members nominated on the Pilgrim Committee.(6)In the event of the death, resignation, disqualifications, disability or removal of a nominated member previous to the expiry of his term of office, the vacancy shall be filled up by the appointment of a person thereto who hold office so long only as the person in whose place he is appointed would have held it if the vacancy had not occurred.(7)Section 63 shall not apply to the Pilgrim Committee provided that the municipality shall have power, at any time, to call for any extract from any proceedings of the Pilgrim Committee and for any return, statement of account or report concerning or connected with any matter with which the Pilgrim Committee deals and every such requisition shall, without unreasonable delay, be complied with by the Pilgrim Committee.(8)The provisions of sections 77, 78 and 79 shall, so far as may be, apply to the Pilgrim Fund Account and the Pilgrim Committee shall, with respect to the preparation and submission to the municipality of its annual budget follow the following procedure, namely: -The Pilgrim Committee shall in sufficient time submit its annual budget and all alterations therein to the municipality for consideration, and if the municipality agree to it, for its incorporation in the general municipal budget. If the municipality do not agree to the budget as framed by the Pilgrim Committee they shall return it to the Pilgrim Committee for reconsideration, either in whole or in part, together with any alterations, which they may recommend, and if the Pilgrim Committee agrees to those alterations, the budget so altered shall be incorporated in the general municipal budget. If the municipality and the Pilgrim Committee fail to reach an agreement, the budget with a statement of the points in dispute, shall be referred by the municipality to the [Director] [This word was substituted for the words 'Development Commissioner' by Gujarat 6 of 1965, section 5.] whose decision on such points shall be final.(9)The provisions of sections 257, 258, 259, 262 and 263 shall apply to a Pilgrim Committee and in their application to a Pilgrim Committee the said sections shall be construed so far as may be, as if for the word "municipality" occurring in the said sections the words "Pilgrim Committee" were substituted.
