Plan to split MCD five ways gets Cabinet clearance

The proposal envisages a separate Mayor and Commissioner for each of the five corporations. The government will appoint a principal commissioner who will act as the administrative head of all five corporations.

Though each body will function independently and possess powers to take financial decisions,a central body,the Municipal Management Council,will be formed for macromanagement. The council will be chaired by the Chief Minister.

The number of councillors will rise manifold,the report stated,adding that there should be at least one councillor for 40,000 voters. At present,a councillor looks over about 2-2.5 lakh people. Going by this calculation,the number of councillors will increase from 272 to 408.

Though the proposal got the Cabinet green signal,Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit did not want to announce it without testing the waters first. “We have received the report today. It is a comprehensive document and we are still going through it. Since it is a big decision,we will discuss it. Also,some fresh suggestions have come,” she said.

Administratively,this would mean that each part of Delhi will get exclusive attention,and each area would be able to take its own priorities into consideration.

On the other hand,the decision will alter the political scenario of the Capital. As there will be six councillors instead of four under each MLA constituency,their political clout will diminish somewhat. It also means that even if a political party wins the majority of 408 seats,it still may not get to head all the corporations. “This will bring in more balance of power,as there will probably be two corporations headed by the Congress and three by the BJP,” a senior official said.

For now,it just a political decision. The government has not yet worked out administrative details of the project. The work of marking out the geographical limits of each corporation has to be done by the Election Commissioner’s office. Incidentally,the new Election Commissioner,Rakesh Mehta,has served as Chief Secretary of Delhi and MCD Commissioner.

The proposal has to be sent to the Union Home Ministry before it can be executed on the ground. “Even though it is a state subject,the Home Ministry’s nod is essential. Once it agrees,we merely have to get it passed by the Delhi Assembly before executing it,” the official said.