Write a short note on the city administration system of Patliputra as narrated by Megasthenes.

Patliputra Municipal Administration as Narrated by Megasthenes:

In his monumental work Indica, the Greek ambassador Megasthenes (at the court of Chandragupta Maurya) provided an extraordinary eyewitness account of the sophisticated municipal governance of the capital Pataliputra (Palibothra):

• 1. The Governing City Council (30-Member Municipal Commission):
  • The city was administered by a municipal board of 30 Commissioners divided into 6 Specialized Committees of 5 members each:
    1. 1st Committee (Industrial Arts): Supervised artisans, monitored craftsmanship standards and wages.
    2. 2nd Committee (Foreigners / Infiltration): Looked after foreign dignitaries, provided lodging, security, and healthcare.
    3. 3rd Committee (Vital Statistics): Recorded births and deaths for accurate census and tax assessment.
    4. 4th Committee (Trade & Commerce): Regulated weights and measures, market goods, and merchant licenses.
    5. 5th Committee (Manufactured Goods): Monitored sale of goods, preventing mixing of old and new merchandise.
    6. 6th Committee (Sales Tax Collection): Collected a mandatory $1/10 ext{th}$ (10%) tax on sales (evasion penalized with capital punishment).
• 2. Security & Urban Infrastructure: Protected by a massive wooden palisade with 570 towers, 64 gates, and a deep defensive moat fed by the Son and Ganga rivers under the Nagaraka (City Governor).