The Indian Express 19.12.2013
NDMC readies for centenary party, can't decide on chief guest
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will be celebrating its centenary beginning December 21. But the council is in a tizzy over whether to invite AAP MLAs Arvind Kejriwal and Surinder Singh, who have replaced Sheila Dikshit and Karan Singh Tanwar as NDMC members, for the centenary celebrations.
With no new government in sight, the NDMC is also unsure of how to go about the opening of the renovated Connaught Place, which is scheduled for December-end as part of the centenary celebrations of the NDMC.
Sources said the council has delegated the task of co-ordinating the opening and inviting chief guests to the New Delhi Traders' Association (NDTA), who are in touch with the Urban Development Ministry.
According to NDMC norms, the MLA and MP from the New Delhi Assembly constituency and the MLA from the Delhi Cantonment Assembly constituency by default become members of the Council.
After election results were announced, Kejriwal replaced former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the NDMC council. AAP candidate Surinder Singh, a former NSG commando, who defeated BJP's Karan Singh Tanwar in the Delhi Cantonment constituency, also became a member of the NDMC.
Had there been a government, either the chief minister or the MLA would have been invited for the celebrations. But in the present scenario, the NDMC claims that the centenary celebrations are a public function and no invitations are required.
A senior NDMC official admitted that there was some confusion. "We had written to the Delhi administration for clarity on this as soon as the election results were notified. The new members also need to be notified by the Home Ministry, and, so far, we have not received an approval of their candidature from the ministry," he said.
The centenary celebrations are being organised by NDMC in association with Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) and NDTA.
According to a senior NDMC official, there will be a shopping festival and the DTTDC will host a food festival which will begin on December 23.
On January 5, a vintage car rally will be organised. The NDMC band will play each day in a different location. The council also plans to have a fireworks display on New Year's Eve.
The present-day NDMC traces its origins to the Imperial Delhi Committee constituted in 1913. It gave way to the Raisina Municipal Committee in 1916. In 1932, the New Delhi Municipal Committee was formed and, in 1994, the New Delhi Municipal Council came into being.
