Lok Sabha Passes Bill To Merge Three Municipal Corporations Of Delhi Into Single Entity

Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2022: Last week, the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha amid opposition claims that the move was beyond the legislative competence of the Parliament.

New Delhi: Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 that seeks to unify the three municipal corporations of Delhi. Last week, the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha amid opposition claims that the move was beyond the legislative competence of the Parliament.

While introducing the bill in Parliament, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai had dismissed the claims of the opposition and said Article 239AA gave Parliament the right to make laws with respect to any matter of Union Territory.

Lok Sabha passes The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022. The Bill seeks to unify the three municipal corporations of Delhi. pic.twitter.com/Yndl7Ug5Kh

— ANI (@ANI) March 30, 2022

RSP member N K Premachandran, Congress members Gaurav Gogoi and Manish Tewari, BSP member Ritesh Pandey opposed the introduction of the bill contending that Parliament lacked the legislative competence to amend the Bill.

Notably, the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2022 states that the 2011 trifurcation of the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi was “uneven” in terms of territorial divisions and revenue-generating potential.

Currently, the three corporations in Delhi — North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations — have a total of 272 seats. While North and South corporations have 104 seats each, the East corporation has 64.

The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 has a provision that the Central government may, “if necessary”, appoint a person to be called the “Special Officer”, to exercise the power and discharge the functions of the Corporation until the date on which the first meeting of the body is held after the commencement of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022.

Talking about the issue of the MCDs, Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier in the day said that the Delhi government is meting out “step-motherly” treatment to municipal corporations in the national capital due to which they are struggling with inadequate resources for carrying out their responsibilities.

Talking about the bill, Shah suggested that the trifurcation of the MCD was done in a hurry for political reasons which lead to an imbalance between the income and liabilities of the civic bodies.

Being the country’s capital, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament, Prime Minister’s Office, central secretariats, among other important offices, are in Delhi and carrying out civic services is very important here, he said and urged the House to consider Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 rising above party politics.

The Aam Aadmi Partygovernment in Delhi has been critical of the Centre’s move to bring the bill a month before the elections to the three municipal corporations, claiming it was an attempt by the BJP to delay the polls as it feared defeat.