The Hindu : New Delhi News : Congress split over MCD break up issue

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Sunday, Aug 01, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Congress split over MCD break up issue

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JULY 31. Despite having made a commitment to implement whatever has been included in the party's manifesto during the 2003 Assembly and 2004 Lok Sabha polls, the Sheila Dikshit Government is shying away from going ahead with decisions on major issues including break-up of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and waiving off house tax on rural villages.

Interestingly, the Congress party is sharply divided over the issue of splitting the MCD into smaller bodies.

There is a section within the party in the Corporation that is strongly opposed to the breaking up of the Corporation as provided in the Congress manifesto.

There is still no move on this front by the Delhi Government as the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, is not willing to bite the bullet at this juncture.

On the other hand, the party MLAs are slowly veering around to the fact that it would be beneficial for them if the Corporation was broken up into smaller bodies.

Interestingly, the Delhi Government had set up a committee headed by Virendra Prakash to look into the issue of making the Corporation manageable by splitting it into six small bodies.

The Committee's report was tabled in the House and a House Committee was formed under Deep Chand Bandhu, which also submitted its report last year.

However, despite all this, the Delhi Government has not been able to move ahead in this direction in view of the strong opposition by the MCD leaders including Councillors. The matter for breaking MCD into three bodies was discussed by the Cabinet recently, but again it got stalled for some reason.

"The Chief Minister is moving discreetly on the issue as she does not want to have any confrontation. The party should go ahead and implement the reforms in civic administration so as to provide relief to the common man. It is a commitment made by the party leadership and leaders with vested interests should not be allowed to sabotage this promise,'' a senior party leader remarked.

Similarly, the party is also on the backfoot on the issue of waiving off house tax on rural villages. The Congress manifesto had clearly stated that house tax for rural villages would be waived off.

However, with the new Unit Area Method scheme coming into force, the Government is unable to fulfil its commitment. There is a growing demand for exempting rural villages from payment of house tax.

The Nationalist Congress Party leader, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and the Outer Delhi Member of Parliament, Sajjan Kumar, have already raised this issue with the Delhi Government.

The Chief Minister has been non-committal on this issue and no clarification has come even as the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has threatened to launch an agitation.

"I have discussed the matter with the Chief Minister as well as the MCD Commissioner, Rakesh Mehta. The Corporation cannot collect house tax in rural villages as it will have to deposit it back with the panchayat. We will soon move a resolution in the Standing Committee to waive off house tax on rural villages,'' Mr. Sajjan Kumar said.

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