Trifurcation move divides MCD

The move of the Sheila Dikshit Administration to divide the “gigantic and unmanageable” Municipal Corporation of Delhi into smaller bodies has literally divided the MCD: one group opposing it and another supporting it.

Interestingly, the division is not on party lines but on the position held by the elected representatives in their respective parties. Apprehensive of losing their “clout” over a municipality that controls over 94 per cent of the city and provides civic amenities to more than 140 lakh people, the leadership of both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have joined hands in opposing the move of the Delhi Government to split the MCD.

The MCD political leadership including the Leader of House, Satbir Singh, the Leader of the Opposition, Subhash Arya, the Standing Committee Chairman, Mukesh Goel and the only BJP member in the Standing Committee, Vijender Kumar Gupta, have started speaking in `one voice’ against the efforts of the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, to usher in an era of “good urban civic governance” in the Capital.

Proponents of smaller municipalities argued that with the existing MCD set up, it was next to impossible to provide world class civic amenities to residents of the Capital, particularly at a time when Delhi was bidding for the Commonwealth Games in the coming years.

Fearing that with smaller municipalities, their area of influence would be restricted to a particular part of the Capital, these leaders have had a series of meetings to chalk out a joint strategy. Without referring to the respective party manifestoes promising smaller corporations, these leaders are quick to point out unanimous resolutions passed by the MCD House and its Standing Committee in June opposing trifurcation of the civic body. “The will of the democratically elected representatives cannot be bulldozed or ignored by the State leadership,” one of them argued.

“This is an effort of Ms. Dikshit to destroy local self-governance in Delhi,” Mr. Arya alleged. “Smaller municipalities would result in additional financial burden on people of the Capital,” Mr. Gupta added. On the other hand, the Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Jagdish Mukhi, has been advocating the cause of carving out “five” municipalities from the MCD. However, the opinion of the leadership does not seem to be the dominant view among the Councillors, a majority of who are now favouring trifurcation.