The Hindu : Demand for Mayor-in-Council

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 12, 2003

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Demand for Mayor-in-Council

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI FEB. 11. Demanding constitution of a Mayor-in-Council, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi today passed the revised budget estimates for 2002-2003 and the budget estimates for 2003-2004.

The proposal for Mayor-in-Council was moved by the Leader of the Opposition, Subhash Arya, and supported by all Councillors present in the House.

Arguing that the officials in the civic body dominated the proceedings of MCD, the resolution demanded that elected representatives be made more powerful and this could not happen without the constitution of Mayor-in-Council. It has already been constituted in Mumbai, Nagpur and other cities of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Among other major budget proposals approved by the MCD House include allocation of Rs. 5 lakhs for CNG crematoriums, provision of Rs.10 crore for constructing parking lots at Greater Kailash, Hamilton Road, and Shastri Park, increase in both the number and amount of widow and old age pension, allocation of Rs. 1 lakh per ward for children park, increase in allocation for night shelter and providing medical shops at major MCD hospitals.

Earlier in his concluding budget speech, the Leader of the House and Standing Committee Chairman, Ram Babu Sharma, announced that a modern slaughter house would be constructed in the Capital as the civic body can no more allow illegal slaughtering, which has put on risk health of lakhs of meat consuming citizens of the city.

The bold statement of Mr. Sharma comes in the midst of his party MLAs, Councillors and leader launching a movement against the proposed slaughter house at Ghazipur. The Opposition BJP and several other organisations too are opposing the decision of the MCD for having a slaughter house at Ghazipur.

Mr. Sharma said the budget allocation for Dhobi Ghat has been increased by Rs. 10 lakhs, Rs. 1 crore each for medicine for poor patients in Swami Dayanand Hospital and strengthening of Indian System of Medicine. Zonal Deputy Commissioner's have been permitted to spend a maximum of Rs. 12 lakhs on cultural events. Rs. 2 lakh has been provided for distribution of wheel chairs to the physically challenged students of municipal primary schools. However, major portion of Mr. Sharma's marathon speech which lasted for nearly four hours was devoted on criticising the BJP for what he alleged as party's misrule in the last House, 1997- 2002.

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