Fisticuffs, chaos scuttle MCD; gets first sole mayor in 2023

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party's one year at the helm of MCD was riddled with challenges such as delayed mayoral elections, a truncated tenure, and frequent pandemonium in the house, but the government managed to move several key proposals, including one related to meat shops.

Deputy Mayor Aaley Muhammad Iqbal told PTI that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 2023 passed several proposals that benefited the city residents.

It is now focussed on fulfilling the 10 guarantees promised by the Arvind Kejriwal government in the upcoming year, he said.

Repeated House adjournments, a fist fight during the MCD mayoral election, and ruckus over the formation of the standing committee were among the highlights for the civic body in 2023.

"In our nine months' journey in the MCD in 2023, the AAP-led government was able to introduce agendas and pass proposals that were never brought up by the previous governments in 15 years.

"We worked on ensuring cleanliness in the city, eliminate garbage at vulnerable points, and create more jobs," Iqbal said.

The MCD House was a scene of chaos in April, when the AAP and BJP councillors locked horns over Shelly Oberoi's election as mayor of the unified municipality.

The MCD House saw 14 adjournments in a span of over 14 hours and became a battleground for councillors who exchanged blows and punches and threw ballot boxes at each other.

"Despite the obstruction caused by the opposition, the corporation put 100 per cent efforts to work on the promises by the AAP government and a majority of Delhiites were happy with our work," Iqbal said.

"Parties should not do politics when it comes to public welfare," he added.

In 2023, the unified body of the three erstwhile corporations got its new mayor, but after a delay of three months.

The MCD held this year's elections in April, just three months since the previous polls were held in December 2022.

The corporation elections, which are held annually on April 1, were delayed owing to the merger of the three erstwhile corporations.

Shelly Oberoi became the ninth mayor in the civic body's history to have served for more than a year.

However, soon after Oberoi took over as mayor, the House descended into complete chaos with the selection of the six-member standing committee panel forming its contentious core.

The House witnessed women councillors getting rough and several members needing hospital care after a brawl.

Delhi cabinet minister Atishi alleged that male BJP councillors attacked Oberoi, who was forced to adjourn and leave the House.

Till date, the fate of the standing committee, MCD's apex decision-making, continues to remain in doldrum as the matter is stuck in the high court.

The civic body also saw a high-octane brawl during the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected councillors over the order of oath-taking and marshals had to intervene to control the ruckus that ensued.

The AAP objected to the choice of nominations made by L-G for the MCD's aldermen. The party alleged foul play claiming that all the chosen aldermen by L-G are BJP members.

The civic body cleared several proposals this year in absence of the standing committee including a meat shop licencing policy which bans opening of a meat shop within 150 metre radius of a religious place.

The policy standardised the fee for issuing or renewing licences, fixing it at Rs 18,000 for shops and Rs 1.5 lakh for processing units across all MCD zones.

At present, 13 projects, which include a multilevel parking lot, a 200-bed hospital ward, and a provision to serve hot meals to school children, are waiting for the standing committee's approval and work on 10 others is stuck due to delay in its formation.