Costly affair: MCD expenses have doubled after trifurcation

After trifurcation in 2012, the cash-strapped municipal corporations have spent more than double the amount of money in comparison to what used to be the total budget for the unified civic body.

According to the data available, the last budget for the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the financial year 2012-13 was Rs 6,200 crore. The budget for the current fiscal, to provide the same kind of civic amenities, was approximately Rs 15,500 crore. Last year, the three corporations spent close to Rs 13,000 crore.

In 2017-18, the north corporation's budget alone was Rs 7,200 crore while the east corporation's expenditure for the year was Rs 3,800 crore. The south corporation's budget for this year was around Rs 4,500 crore.

"North corporation's budget alone surpassed what used to be the entire MCD's budget. Even if we calculate the increase in cost over the last five years, it might become twice the total budget, but certainly will not go lesser than that. We have been left with debts, which are still being paid," a senior official said, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, the state of amenities such as sanitation, garbage collection, and maintenance of roads and drains has not improved over the last five years.

The MCD was trifurcated into south, north, and east by the then Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government. At present, while the south is financially viable, the other two have been struggling to pay salaries to their employees. Rejected twice before, the proposal to unify the corporations may again be floated in the new set-up after these polls.

The elections for the three corporations are scheduled for April 23. There are a total of 272 wards in the city, with south and north having 104 wards each. The east corporation has 64 wards.

The corporation's health expenditure alone is around Rs 652 crore, which is in addition to the total budget. The corporation has six of the city's major hospitals, including Hindu Rao Hospital, under it.

The officer claimed the trifurcation led to an unequal division of revenue sources. "The south got all the Type A and B properties, for which property taxes are much higher. The north and east corporations were left with mid-level and lower property rates. The condition is such that the staffers don't get salaries for two months at a stretch," he added.

The Capital has witnessed two major strikes by safai karamcharies over the last two years, bringing the entire city to a halt. The workers had not been paid dues for months.

The civic bodies get Delhi government grants for basic functioning, such as paying the staffers. But the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government had not released these grants to the corporations, which triggered strikes.

Policy making difficult, no uniformity

Besides financial viability, officials said that the trifurcation has made policy making difficult for the civic body. There is confusion among people, who end up paying more at certain places as the three corporations have different rules for services such as parking, advertising, and taxes, among others.

Subhash Arya, Leader of the House, south corporation, said: "My opinion differs from the party. Trifurcation has made the administration more complicated. Also, it has increased the multiplicity of the authority, thereby reducing the powers of the civic body. There must be a motion again to unify the three bodies in order to offer better amenities in the city."

Arya, who has been in the corporation for over a decade, further said: "At the time when the Sheila Dikshit government had decided to trifurcate the MCD to reduce its powers, we were in power in the civic body. We had also approved a resolution against it. We were not against the division but against the financial distribution of the three. Also, we had asked them to help us pay off the debts before trifurcation. Despite that, the MCD was trifurcated as it is."

In 2015, the north corporation had moved a proposal to unify the civic bodies, but it could not be ratified by the Congress in Opposition.