Delhi govt weakening Municipal Corporation of Delhi: BJP

Accusing chief minister Sheila Dikshit of "systematically" weakening the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, BJP today said it was exploring legal options to challenge various decisions of the Delhi government in taking away "constitutional powers" of the party-ruled civic body.
    
The move has been provoked by Delhi government's decision to appoint a committee to examine division of MCD into a number of "workable units" to enhance its performance.
    
"Dikshit has been systematically trying to weaken the MCD for last few years. The government has unconstitutionally taken over various functions of the MCD. We are now exploring legal options to challenge such decisions," BJP leader V K Malhotra said.
    
In a politically sensitive move, the Delhi Government, which has been critical of MCD's functioning under the BJP, had on Monday set up a high-powered committee to examine possible division of the civic body to overcome the hassles coming in the way of proper delivery of services by it.
    
When reminded about BJP favouring trifurcation of MCD in its election manifesto during the assembly polls in 2008, Malhotra said the Congress government's move to divide the civic body was aimed at gaining political mileage only.     

"Why the government has come up with the idea when MCD elections are due in one year's time. The move smacks of suspicion," he said adding that if government returns all the powers it had taken over from the body in the last few years, then the party was ready to examine the proposal.
    
The government had last year taken over the slum department as well as maintenance of 29 industrial estates in the city from MCD. On Monday, government had handed over maintenance of all streetlights across the city to private power distribution companies from the corporation.
    
The centre in the year 2009 had transferred some of the powers of MCD to the Delhi government following persistent demand by Delhi Cabinet.
    
Malhotra, who is among the two BJP representatives appointed by the government in the five-member committee to examine division of the MCD, said his permission was not taken by the government before naming him as a member of the panel.     

"The party will take an appropriate decision on whether BJP will cooperate with the committee or not," he said.     

The BJP leader said powers of MCD have been taken over by Delhi government "unconstitutionally" as the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957, had given those powers to the civic body.