The Delhi government on Thursday called a special two-day Assembly session next week to approve a Bill to split the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) into three agencies. The Bill will be tabled in the Assembly on November 30,and be cleared the next day,Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said soon after a Cabinet meeting where the dates were finalised. As per procedures,a Bill has to be first tabled in the House. The Assembly can decide on its fate the next day at the earliest, Dikshit said. The Home Ministry had on Wednesday cleared a Delhi government proposal,pending since June this year,to split the MCD. A written approval reached the Dikshit government on Thursday morning. Dikshit said once the Assembly clears the Bill,it will be sent for the Presidents approval for it to become a law,after which her government will begin to operationalise the three corporations. The MCD services nine in every 10 of Delhis nearly 18 million residents,covering nearly 94 per cent of the citys area,a job the Dikshit government says is humongous and often leads to inefficiency. Speaking to journalists after the Cabinet meeting on Thursday,Dikshit said the Centres approval for splitting the MCD is a historic moment,not just for Delhi but for the country. It will be an example of efficient civic governance in big cities. With three corporations now,municipal officials will be more accessible to people and it will take governance to peoples doorstep, Dikshit said. But,the Chief Minister said, people should not expect that municipal governance will be overhauled overnight once the MCD is split and three new corporations are formed. People should not expect wonders very quickly. It (the split) is an experiment,and the government will try its best to improve delivery. We will learn from our mistakes and correct them, she said. Once the President approves the split,the MCD will be divided into three municipalities,with different units for North,South and East Delhi. Each municipality will have a separate mayor and deputy mayor and half of its seats will be reserved for women,up from the existing 33 per cent reservation. Each municipality will have a commissioner and a new Directorate of Local Bodies will be set up to coordinate among the three agencies.
