Express press service

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill proposing to unify Delhi’s three municipalities. The bill will likely be tabled during the current session of parliament, sources within the ruling BJP said. The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act 2022 provides for a Unified Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) by amalgamating the three corporations—North, South and East.

“The Preamble of the Bill has been approved by the Union Cabinet, after which it will be presented to Parliament. It may take two to three days to review the proposed Bill and then pass it unanimously, after which the merger process will begin, which may also involve the reclassification of municipal districts,” said a senior party official.

The MCD was trifurcated in 2012 by the then Congress government led by Sheila Dikshit through an amendment to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Amendment Act, 1911.

“The trifurcation of the company was uneven in terms of territorial divisions and the revenue-generating potential of each company. As a result, there was a huge gap in the resources available to the three companies, compared to their obligations,” said declared the invoice document reads.

“The gap has widened over time, increasing the financial difficulties of the three municipal corporations, leaving them unable to pay the salaries and pensions of their employees in a timely manner and thus creating serious obstacles to the maintenance of services. civics in Delhi,” he added. adds.

Reacting to the development, AAP spokesman Saurabh Bharadwaj said it was merely a ploy to delay the ongoing elections of the corporations. “It is clear that unification is just a tactic. It could have been done just six months before or after the elections. It is being done right now mainly because the BJP is very anti-incumbent and knows that he is ready to lose the election,” Bharadwaj said.

The State Election Commission is expected to issue a call for municipal elections during the second week of April.