The Union government is due to introduce a bill in Parliament next week that will merge te three civic bodies of the national capital Delhi into one. Delhi presently has three municipal bodies divided regionally: North, South, and East Delhi Municipal Corporation, and a Cantonment Board. The Bill proposes to merge the three civic bodies into one MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi). The Delhi Municipal Corporation was trifurcated in 2011.
The said bill has been cleared by the Union Cabinet today, according to media reports. The government’s reasoning is that the division between the three corporations was uneven in terms of territory and resources, and this led to losses and consequent inability to maintain civic services in the city and to bear expenses like salaries and retirement benefits for staff.
The BJP’s Delhi unit chief Aadesh Gupta praised the move, saying: "The decision taken by the Union Cabinet to amalgamate the three corporations is a very welcome step, which will strengthen the corporation and do better work for the public”.
AAP Against Delay Of Civic Polls, Seeks To Change Fortunes
The Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power as the government of NCT of Delhi has publicly ‘appealed’ to the Modi government not to ‘delay’ the civic body elections in the city. Currently, all three bodies are in the BJP’s control. It has questioned the timing of the merger and said that it will derail the polls of the civic body further.
“Prime Minister, governments will come and go. You won't be there, I won't be either. But do not weaken the institutions of the country. Don't postpone MCD elections” the Twitter handle of AAP had tweeted earlier in March this year.
After the AAP”s victory in Punjab Elections, Arvid Kejriwal seeks to win in the three civic body polls to cement the ‘Delhi Governance Model’ that he pitched in Punjab. The AAP has a poor record in municipal polls and seeks to turn that around in the face of anti-incumbency caused by ‘financial mismanagement’ and structural problems of the three municipal bodies.
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