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More MCD wards auger well for governance

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: With the Delhi Cabinet's latest decision to increase the number of wards under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi by bringing an amendment to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the city is all set to move towards better governance by having a ward for every 50,000 people.

Delhi Congress president Ram Babu Sharma believes that despite the MCD Act Amendment Bill being moved in the two-day special Delhi Assembly session called on January 6 and 8, the elections to the MCD would be held on time. "The process would take hardly ten days,'' he insisted, adding that "in a democracy more than winning or losing it is important that the elections are held on time''.

Congress leaders' meeting

Mr. Sharma said the decision to increase the number of wards had been finalised at the meeting of senior Delhi Congress leaders held at All-India Congress Committee office on December 20. With the passage of the Bill -- which has been sent to the Union Home Ministry for its approval before it is presented in the Delhi Assembly since the MCD had been constituted by an Act of Parliament -- the number of wards would go up from a minimum of 70 to maximum of 134 at present to minimum of 272 and maximum of 300.

Since every Assembly constituency has a population of about 2 lakh and every ward a population of about 1 lakh at present, with the amendment the population per ward would come down to around 50,000 which is the level one finds in most other metropolitan cities. In Mumbai, there is a ward for nearly every 52,000 people, in Chandigarh for every 59,000, in Kolkata for every 32,000 and in Chennai for nearly every 28,000.

Moreover, Mr. Sharma said, the last time too the number of wards was increased to 134 to provide a ward for every 50,000 population. Since the new MCD House is to be constituted by April 7, there is widespread belief that the target can be met with ease.

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