Setting the stage for splitting MCD, Delhi government today decided to recommend to the Centre that the civic body be divided into five smaller units to improve its functioning.
The meeting of Delhi Cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit accepted the recommendations of a high-power committee, which had in its report last week favoured splitting the MCD into five bodies.
“The Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the committee and decided to recommend the splitting of the MCD into five bodies. Now, we will send a proposal to the Centre for approval. After that, it will be brought to the Delhi Assembly,” said Health Minister A K Walia, who headed the committee.
The committee, which met four times to finalise the recommendations, also favoured increase in number of wards in the city. It recommended that each Assembly constituency should have six wards.
The Delhi Government, which has been critical of MCD’s functioning under the BJP, had set up the committee to examine a possible division of the civic body.
Two BJP members in the committee - V K Malhotra and Jagdish Mukhi - resigned from the committee just ahead of the first meeting, accusing the government of trying to divide the MCD to gain political mileage.
The first meeting examined recommendations of various previous committees on reform in MCD and broadly agreed on the recommendations of the V K Malhotra committee as well as Deep Chand Bandhu Committee, both of which had suggested splitting the civic body into five units.
The V K Malhotra committee report in 2004 had recommended division of MCD into five units and had suggested setting up of a “mayor-in-council” for each of them.
