Explanation:

The following eight types of urban local bodies are created in India for the administration of urban areas -

1. Municipal Corporation.

2. Municipality.

3. Notified Area Committee.

4. Town Area Committee.

5. Cantonment Board.

6. Township.

7. Port Trust.

8. Special Purpose Agency.

Special purpose Agency -

First seven are area based.

The states have set up Special Purpose Agencies to undertake designated activities or specific functions.

These functions actually belong to the domain of municipal corporations or municipalities or other local urban governments.

Thus these are function-based agencies and are known as ‘single purpose’, ‘uni-purpose’ or ‘special purpose’ agencies or ‘functional local bodies’.

Some of them are -

1. Town improvement trusts.

2. Urban development authorities.

3. Water supply and sewerage boards.

4. Housing boards.

5. Pollution control boards.

6. Electricity supply boards.

7. City transport boards.

8. BEST buses, PMPML buses etc.

These are statutory bodies or they can be formed as departments by an executive resolution.

They function as autonomously, performing functions allotted to them independently of the local urban governments.

Hence they are not subordinate agencies of the local municipal bodies.