MCD goes ahead with break-up

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, OCT. 2. Going full steam ahead with its plan to break up the over-stretched Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Delhi Government has constituted a five-member committee headed by Mr. Virender Prakash, IAS (retd), to work out the structure and financial viability of the new municipalities when they come into existence and formulate a draft legislation.

Insiders in Delhi Government said a notification has been issued by the General Administrative Department (GAD) Secretary, Mr. D.M. Sapolia. ``Issues related to the objective of improvements in the levels and status of civic infrastructure, services and amenities, as also the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery mechanisms and systems of the MCD, need to be reviewed for which this committee has been constituted,'' said a senior official. It would also suggest measures to bring an end multiplicity of authority.

The other members of the committee would be the Principal Secretary (Finance), Secretary (Law Justice and LA) and Secretary (Planning). The Principal Secretary (Urban Development), will be the Member-Secretary of the committee, which has been given two months to submit its report. The committee will also study the structure and working of the MCD.

The decision to set up the committee was taken after the Law Department, it is learnt, stressed the need for setting up such a panel to work out the minutest of details before going ahead with the plan to introduce the Municipality Bill. Legal opinion said the Government should send to the Centre for consideration a complete and flawless legislation so that there are no further delays. The idea is to get the break-up exercise complete before the elections to the local body, due next year.

Sources said the committee has been asked to go even into the question whether there is a need to split the MCD into smaller municipalities having a compact jurisdiction and how many local bodies should be created. Also, whether the geographical jurisdiction of the successor municipalities should be co- terminus with the boundaries of the revenue districts and, if not, the appropriate alternative for determining the geographical jurisdiction. The committee would also determine their financial viability with reference to their sources of revenue and expenditure.

It would also determine the functions and responsibilities of the proposed local bodies to ensure they are entrusted such responsibilities as legitimately lie in the domain of the local self-government institutions. The five-member panel would also determine the functions currently entrusted to the MCD which should properly be transferred to the various departments of the Delhi Government. It would determine and suggest ways and means of bringing about better coordination between the Delhi Government and the MCD or successor municipalities.

It would examine the need for revamping the system and procedure of planning by introducing the institutional mechanisms of district and metropolitan planning committees. In doing so, it may harmonise the need for multiplicity of implementing agencies and vesting policy formulation and planning responsibilities in a single agency.

The committee, is understood, would also suggest an appropriate draft legislation to achieve the objectives.

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