Delhi Govt clears bill for splitting MCD

Moving a step forward to split the MCD, the Delhi Government on Tuesday approved a bill for division of the civic agency into three smaller bodies.

The bill along with a proposal for trifurcation of the MCD will be sent to the Home Ministry for clearance in a day or two.

A meeting of the Delhi Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit cleared the bill prepared by a four- member committee of senior officials.

"The proposed legislation for trifurcation of the MCD has been cleared by the Cabinet. It will be sent to the Home Ministry either on Wednesday or Thursday," Dikshit said.

The bill envisages setting up of a new body called Delhi Municipal Authority (DMA), which will coordinate among the three municipalities.

A Delhi Cabinet meeting last month approved a proposal to split the MCD into three parts ahead of the municipal polls next year and had set up the four-member committee to prepare an amendment bill to the Delhi Municipal Act of 1957.

Dikshit said after getting approval from the Home Ministry, the bill will be tabled in the Delhi Assembly.

"We will try to hurry it up as much as we can as municipal polls will be held in March 2012," Dikshit, who has been pushing hard for trifurcation of the MCD, said.

As per the bill, the new civic bodies in North and South Delhi will have 104 wards each, while the civic body in East Delhi will have 64 wards.