Bill to merge Delhi civic bodies introduced in Parliament, all you need to know about it
The bill was tabled in the Lower House today by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai. The bill to consolidate Delhi's three municipal corporations was approved by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday.
FollowThe central government introduced the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, in Lok Sabha on Friday, with the goal of combining the three civic organisations in the city. On Tuesday, the Union Cabinet approved the introduction of this law. The bill was tabled in the Lower House today by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai. The bill to consolidate Delhi's three municipal corporations was approved by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday.
What is the purpose of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill?
The law aims to merge the three municipal corporations into a single, well-equipped organisation. It also attempts to establish a solid structure for coordinated and strategic planning, as well as optimal resource use, in order to achieve better transparency, enhanced governance, and more effective delivery of civic services to the people of Delhi. The Bill proposes to consolidate Delhi's three municipal corporations into a single body, with the Centre determining the overall number of councillor seats and those allocated for Scheduled Castes members. It also suggests appointing a special officer to monitor its operations until the first meeting of the body is convened under the reunification law.
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What changes will occur?
At the moment, Delhi's three municipal corporations (North, South, and East Delhi Municipal Corporations) have a total of 272 seats. While the North and South companies each have 104 seats, the East corporation only has 64. The number of seats in the amalgamated municipal corporation of Delhi would not exceed 250 if the law is introduced. The bill proposes that the Central Government decide the overall number of councillor seats and those allocated for Scheduled Castes members in the amalgamated body by an official gazette announcement. According to a bill on the reunification legislation, a special officer may be appointed to monitor its work until the first meeting of the body is convened under the reunification law.
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The municipal corporations of North, East, and South Delhi, as well as the Delhi Cantonment Board and the New Delhi Municipal Council, are the five local bodies in Delhi. The North, South, and East Delhi corporations cover the vast bulk of Delhi's land area.
Prior to 2012, these three organisations were known as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). In 2012, the then-Sheila Dixit government planned to divide the MCD into three parts. The RWAs were opposed to the move, claiming that it had resulted in unfair distribution of funding and mismanagement due to a lack of accountability.
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