Bill To Merge Delhi's Three Civic Bodies To Be Introduced By Amit Shah In Lok Sabha Today

The Bill on the merger, circulated to Lok Sabha members, also says that the 2011 trifurcation of the erstwhile MCD was ‘uneven’ in terms of territorial divisions and revenue generating potential.

File Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to introduce the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2022 in Lok Sabha on Friday.

According to the Bill which seeks to merge the three municipal corporations of Delhi into a single entity, the number of seats in the merged MCD will not exceed 250 and a special officer would be designated to oversee its function till the first meeting of the body is held under the reunification law.

Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2022 to be introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha tomorrow, 25th March 2022.

(File photo) pic.twitter.com/lhGTQv72H9

— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2022

"Upon the completion of each census after the establishment of the Corporation, the number of seats shall be on the basis of the population of Delhi as ascertained at that census and shall be determined by the central government..." the Bill reads.

The Bill on the merger, circulated to Lok Sabha members, also says that the 2011 trifurcation of the erstwhile MCD was ‘uneven’ in terms of territorial divisions and revenue generating potential.

Notably, the three corporations in Delhi -- North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations -- have a total of 272 seats, with North and South corporations having 104 seats each and the East corporation having 64.

As per the Bill, the total number of seats of councillors and those reserved for Scheduled Castes members in the merged municipal body will be determined by the Centre through a notification in the official gazette.

The bill also has a provision that ‘if necessary’, the Centre may appoint a ‘Special Officer’ to exercise the power and discharge the functions of the corporation until the first meeting of the body is held after the commencement of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022.

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday had approved the Bill.

It is to be noted that in 2011, the law, relating to the municipal government of Delhi, was amended by the Delhi legislative assembly leading to trifurcation of the Corporation into three bodies.

The main objective behind the trifurcation was to create compact municipalities at various centres in Delhi for providing more efficient civic services to the public.

"However, trifurcation of the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi was uneven in terms of territorial divisions and revenue generating potential. As a result, there was huge gap in the resources available to the three corporations compared to their obligations," the Bill states.

According to the Bill, over the years, the gap has widened increasing the financial difficulties of the three corporations in Delhi and leaving them incapacitated to make timely payment of salaries and retirement benefits to their employees, thereby leading to frequent strikes by the municipal staffers, affecting the civic services and creating problems of cleanliness and sanitization.

The Bill further says that these financial issues on the part of the three MCDs result in delay in fulfilment of their contractual and statutory obligations, thus, creating serious problems in maintaining civic services in Delhi.

"The experience of the last ten years shows that the main objective of trifurcation of creating compact municipalities in Delhi to provide more efficient civic services to the public has not been achieved," the merger Bill reads.

Not only does the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill seek to unify the three municipal corporations into a single, integrated and well-equipped entity, it also seeks to ensure a robust mechanism for synergised and strategic planning, and optimal utilisation of resources for greater transparency, improved governance and more efficient delivery of civic service to the people of Delhi.