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Govt gets Home Ministry nod to control MCD

Monday, 14 September 2009 16:11 administrator
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Indian Express 14.09.2009

Govt gets Home Ministry nod to control MCD

Following Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s demand to bring the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) under the control of the Delhi government, the Home Ministry is believed to have given an in-principle approval to the proposal and sent a note to the Delhi government regarding the same.

Sources in the Home Ministry said a presentation on the proposal was made at the ministry last week and the Delhi government has been asked to respond to the note to take the process forward.

While Dikshit has been persistently asking for control over Delhi Police as well, sources said so far the approval is only for ‘segmenting’ powers over the MCD.

Dikshit confirmed receiving the note on Saturday and said a reply will be sent to the Centre after a meeting with the Cabinet. “I haven’t read the letter so far in detail, but it mentions a few clauses that the Delhi government will have to consider,” she said. “We have a meeting on Monday, so I will be able to comment on it only then,” she added.

With the MCD currently being an autonomous body functioning under the Centre, sources in the Home Ministry said while there is an in-principle approval on the matter, the proposal has to be discussed with all stakeholders.

Officials indicated there are several authority-related matters that needed to be ironed out before a final decision is taken, as the BJP is the ruling majority in the MCD House currently. The MCD, which came into existence on April 7, 1958, under an Act of Parliament, is one of the three civic agencies in the city and has about 96 per cent of the city under its jurisdiction.

Dikshit, meanwhile, has been pursuing the matter with Home Minister P Chidambaram since the UPA was voted back to power this May as part of an attempt to ensure better coordination between departments and greater efficiency in carrying out projects and developmental work.

BJP brickbats

* Delhi BJP chief O P Kohli: “This is entirely politically motivated and they should instead push for Delhi being recognised as full state.” * BJP Leader of Opposition, V K Malhotra: “This is an act of mischief on the part of the ruling party. We have been asking for full statehood since 1958. The party will have a meeting to plan the course of action.”

* MCD Mayor Kanwar Sain: “We cannot tolerate this sort of interference. This is bullying us, literally.”

* Commonwealth Games projects delayed, leading to Dikshit demanding the removal of multiplicity of authority: Construction of 16 railway bridges, beautifying 12 roads around the Games venues, redeveloping the Paharganj area and areas near the New Delhi railway station and developing parking lots by covering Kushak Nallah and Sunehri Nallah. * Work in unauthorised colonies: Urban Development Minister AK Walia recently complained about the slow-pace work carried by the MCD in these colonies, which has led to a delay in issuing provisional certificates to nearly 400 colonies.

* Desilting of drains: The blame game over desilting of drains between the government and MCD is a routine part of monsoon. The MCD is in charge of 1,500 odd drains and Walia recently pulled up the civic body for not completing desilting on time.

Last Updated on Monday, 14 September 2009 16:17
 

CPDCL blames GHMC for frequent power cuts

Monday, 14 September 2009 10:58 administrator
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The New Indian Express 14.09.2009

CPDCL blames GHMC for frequent power cuts

Express News Service

 

HYDERABAD: With the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) not permitting the Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Company Limited (APCPDCL) to take up road cutting works in the city, many new sub-stationsin the city remain unutilised.

In an effort to ensure uninterrupted power to localities like Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Khairatabad, Raj Bhavan, Hyderguda, Panjeshah and many other localities in Old City, new 33/11 KV sub-stations were constructed.

In some cases, the load was transferred from one sub-station to other. According to officials, at Road No. 2, Banjara Hills and Road No. 12, 33/11 KV sub-stations were built almost six months ago but

power had to be drawn from the 132 KV substations located near Peddamma temple at Jubilee Hills.

To draw power, road cutting has to be taken up between sub-stations and the main source.

The work has to be taken up on a stretch of 5 km in both locations. For that, permission has to be taken by the CPDCL from the concerned department, GHMC, which maintains the road. But the GHMC has kept its decision in abeyance and has kept the CPDCL hanging for several months now.“There have been

regular power disturbances in Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Khairatabad, Old City and many other areas.

The existing sub-stations are completely overloaded. As a result, one or two hours of power cuts are unavoidable on a daily basis,” an official of CPDCL told Expresso. Officials said once these works are taken up, it would helpful to lakhs of people who would be spared the inconvenience of power cuts.

While the GHMC has not been sitting on the decision to allow road cutting to be taken up by the CPDCL, it has recently taken a decision to increase the road cutting fee by four times. Earlier, it used to charge Rs 500 per metre of road cutting. Now, the GHMC charges up to Rs 2,000. “The GHMC has taken the decision suddenly. As a result, all the projects are becoming financially unviable,” an official added.

Last Updated on Monday, 14 September 2009 11:00
 

Centre moves to put MCD under Delhi govt

Monday, 14 September 2009 05:16 administrator
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The Times of India 14.09.2009

Centre moves to put MCD under Delhi govt

Vishwa Mohan , TNN 14 September 2009, 01:49am IST

NEW DELHI: With Commonwealth Games 2010 fast approaching, the Centre has moved to reduce multiplicity of authorities in the city and bring the Municipal Corporation of Delhi under the control of the Delhi government. Once the opinion of the Delhi government on the move is received, a notification will be issued to make the transition formal.

With Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit having been an ardent proponent of not only bringing MCD under the city government, but also of trifurcation of the corporation, a positive response can be anticipated. The CM has often pointed to multiple authorities - mostly referring to MCD and DDA - to argue that her powers to address land and civic issues were limited.

If MCD is brought under Delhi government, the latter will have a leverage in the substantial budget - it was Rs 5,100 crore in the last financial year - that is allocated to the corporation. A say in notifying appointments, which are now done through the Lt Governor's office, will also give the government added clout.

The move to bring the civic body under Delhi government is bound to spark protests in the BJP-controlled corporation. Though unsaid, the politics of the move are fairly clear. Acting on the long-pending demand, the Union home ministry on Saturday sent a proposal to this effect to Delhi government seeking its final views.

Union home secretary G K Pillai told TOI: ``The ministry will issue the notification as soon as it gets Delhi government's comment. Once the notification is issued, the MCD will start functioning under the Delhi government.'' He also made it clear that the change would not require any amendment in the existing Act.

The MCD is the largest of three civic bodies in the capital. The other two are New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB), both much smaller in terms of the areas they govern.

Explaining technicalities, officials in the ministry said that the move would make MCD's functioning more efficient as appointments, including that of the municipal commissioner, instead of being routed through the Lieutenant Governor, will now be issued by Delhi government.

Delhi government will discuss the issue at a cabinet meeting chaired by Dikshit on Monday. It is believed that the cabinet, besides discussing the implications of the home ministry's decision, will also take a view on its other long-pending demands, including control over DDA.

MCD, an elected body, does not enjoy much power due to Delhi being a union territory and comes under the Union home ministry, But its standing committee has a vital role in implementing projects within its jurisdiction and appointments of officers in various municipal zones.

The Congress, which has been accusing the civic body of inefficiency and also for being unresponsive to the civic needs of the city, is expected to term the home ministry's decision as a victory for the Dikshit government.

Sources in the home ministry said that the need to prepare the city for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in October 2010 acted as a trigger to take the decision at this juncture.

Before sending its note to Delhi government, the officials also took note of various recommendations of the two committees - one led by Ashok Pradhan and the other by Omesh Saigal ^ both of whom submitted their reports on functioning and jurisdiction of the civic body in November, 2006.

While the Pradhan committee recommended various steps to remove multiplicity of authorities in Delhi, the Saigal panel looked into ways of restructuring MCD. The cue to bring MCD under Delhi government was taken from the Pradhan Committee which also suggested that the civic body should confine its functioning to core activities and cede functions relating to hospitals and schools to the Delhi government.

The other recommendations of the Pradhan Committee include:

* MCD commissioner be appointed by the Delhi government instead of the Centre;

* A separate department of local self-government be set up in Delhi government to coordinate the affairs of local bodies;

* Geographical boundaries of MCD, DDA, police and revenue districts be co-terminus;

* The offices of revenue districts be strengthened and the district deputy commissioner be able to exercise control over all functionaries of revenue administration, field agencies of different government departments, district/zonal level functionaries of Delhi Jal Board, transport, DDA and even MCD.
 
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