<p>After functioning as a unified civic body in the capital for over 50 years, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated into North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations in April this year. <br /><br /></p>.<p>While the Sheila Dikshit-led government recommended its trifurcation citing decentralisation of power will result in better delivery of civic amenities to residents, the opposition and ruling party in the MCD — Bharatiya Janata Party — had opposed the move, saying it was a politically motivated decision.<br /><br />The central government, however, amended the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1958 paving the way for trifurcation.<br /><br />Elections were held for the new civic bodies in April, and the incumbent BJP captured all three of them. The new corporations started functioning on May 1 as independent authorities.<br /><br />While the city government claimed that division of financial resources, staff and properties of MCD into three parts was completed according to established administrative practices, their functioning started rather on a dramatic mode. <br />East Corporation mayor Annapurna Mishra held the first meeting of the House in a makeshift tent, saying the city government even failed to give them a proper office to conduct their business.<br /><br />While the better-off North and South Corporations continued to function from the headquarters of the erstwhile MCD — the iconic Civic Centre — a portion of DSIIDC building in Patparganj Industrial Area has been alloted to the East Corporation for the time being. <br /><br />The trifurcation also cast its shadow on the day-to-day working of the three corporations. Civic agency officials claimed that one of the major achievements of the East Corporation after completion of six months was building a working team of the executive and deliberative wings.<br /><br />Decision-making even for routine things became complex for all the three civic bodies. For example, students of some 1,700 municipal schools did not get the annual grant of Rs 500 for buying uniform, including sweaters, till the first fortnight of December. Besides, notebooks and desks were not procured either. <br /><br />Officials said since tenders were done by the unified MCD earlier, fresh tenders were required to be issued separately now. <br /><br />Decisions not taken<br /><br />Several other key decisions could not be taken, such as induction of more staff. The South and East Corporations have blamed their North counterpart for the delay as the director of local bodies made it the nodal agency to decide on such issues. <br /><br />The budget proposals presented by the three commissioners for the next financial year clearly show that if they are passed by the deliberative wing, residents in different parts of the city will end up paying property tax and parking charges at different rates. <br /><br />The corporation also came up with different sets of proposals to hike property tax and parking charges. The East Corporation has proposed three new taxes, giving different identity to all three zones. <br /><br /> LOCALGOVERNANCE<br /><br />North Corporation<br />Administrative zones: City zone, Karol Bagh zone, Paharganj, Civil Lines zone, Narela and Rohini<br />Total number of wards: 104<br /><br />South Corporation<br />Administrative zones: South zone, <br />Central zone, West zone, Najafgarh zone<br />Total number of wards: 104<br /><br />East Corporation<br />Administrative zones: Shahadra south zone, Shahadra north zone<br />Total number of wards: 64<br /><br /> UNDELIVEREDPROMISES<br /><br />* 12 of 17 railway underbridges not <br />completed this year<br />* Multi-level parking lots, which were <br />inaugurated ahead of the elections, yet to be open for public<br />* Other multi-level parkings in limbo<br />* Renovation of iconic Town Hall yet to start, despite much fanfare in announcing it earlier this year<br />* A majority of some nine lakh students in 1,700 municipal schools yet to get grant for uniform, books and desks<br /><br /> MAJORPROPOSALS<br /><br />* North Corporation to start own medical college from coming academic session<br />* South Corporation announces new parking policy to make surface parking <br />attendants more law-abiding, introduction of handheld devices to issue parking slips and installation of closed circuit television cameras at parking lots* East Corporation announces multi-level parkings, ‘smart kid’ projects for municipal schools, new technology to monitor garbage-lifting mechansim</p>
<p>After functioning as a unified civic body in the capital for over 50 years, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated into North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations in April this year. <br /><br /></p>.<p>While the Sheila Dikshit-led government recommended its trifurcation citing decentralisation of power will result in better delivery of civic amenities to residents, the opposition and ruling party in the MCD — Bharatiya Janata Party — had opposed the move, saying it was a politically motivated decision.<br /><br />The central government, however, amended the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1958 paving the way for trifurcation.<br /><br />Elections were held for the new civic bodies in April, and the incumbent BJP captured all three of them. The new corporations started functioning on May 1 as independent authorities.<br /><br />While the city government claimed that division of financial resources, staff and properties of MCD into three parts was completed according to established administrative practices, their functioning started rather on a dramatic mode. <br />East Corporation mayor Annapurna Mishra held the first meeting of the House in a makeshift tent, saying the city government even failed to give them a proper office to conduct their business.<br /><br />While the better-off North and South Corporations continued to function from the headquarters of the erstwhile MCD — the iconic Civic Centre — a portion of DSIIDC building in Patparganj Industrial Area has been alloted to the East Corporation for the time being. <br /><br />The trifurcation also cast its shadow on the day-to-day working of the three corporations. Civic agency officials claimed that one of the major achievements of the East Corporation after completion of six months was building a working team of the executive and deliberative wings.<br /><br />Decision-making even for routine things became complex for all the three civic bodies. For example, students of some 1,700 municipal schools did not get the annual grant of Rs 500 for buying uniform, including sweaters, till the first fortnight of December. Besides, notebooks and desks were not procured either. <br /><br />Officials said since tenders were done by the unified MCD earlier, fresh tenders were required to be issued separately now. <br /><br />Decisions not taken<br /><br />Several other key decisions could not be taken, such as induction of more staff. The South and East Corporations have blamed their North counterpart for the delay as the director of local bodies made it the nodal agency to decide on such issues. <br /><br />The budget proposals presented by the three commissioners for the next financial year clearly show that if they are passed by the deliberative wing, residents in different parts of the city will end up paying property tax and parking charges at different rates. <br /><br />The corporation also came up with different sets of proposals to hike property tax and parking charges. The East Corporation has proposed three new taxes, giving different identity to all three zones. <br /><br /> LOCALGOVERNANCE<br /><br />North Corporation<br />Administrative zones: City zone, Karol Bagh zone, Paharganj, Civil Lines zone, Narela and Rohini<br />Total number of wards: 104<br /><br />South Corporation<br />Administrative zones: South zone, <br />Central zone, West zone, Najafgarh zone<br />Total number of wards: 104<br /><br />East Corporation<br />Administrative zones: Shahadra south zone, Shahadra north zone<br />Total number of wards: 64<br /><br /> UNDELIVEREDPROMISES<br /><br />* 12 of 17 railway underbridges not <br />completed this year<br />* Multi-level parking lots, which were <br />inaugurated ahead of the elections, yet to be open for public<br />* Other multi-level parkings in limbo<br />* Renovation of iconic Town Hall yet to start, despite much fanfare in announcing it earlier this year<br />* A majority of some nine lakh students in 1,700 municipal schools yet to get grant for uniform, books and desks<br /><br /> MAJORPROPOSALS<br /><br />* North Corporation to start own medical college from coming academic session<br />* South Corporation announces new parking policy to make surface parking <br />attendants more law-abiding, introduction of handheld devices to issue parking slips and installation of closed circuit television cameras at parking lots* East Corporation announces multi-level parkings, ‘smart kid’ projects for municipal schools, new technology to monitor garbage-lifting mechansim</p>
