The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi Govt. gets into action mode

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
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New Delhi

Delhi Govt. gets into action mode

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Agro panels set up; nomination process set rolling for `eldermen' in MCD

NEW DELHI: In the past fortnight the Congress Government in Delhi has initiated a number of steps that had been pending for several years. Also, a number of transfers and postings up to the level of sub-registrar undertaken by the General Administration Department during this period has made some party leaders look deep into the reasons behind these actions.

To begin with, the Delhi Government has constituted eight agriculture committees. Each of these is headed by a chairman and has several members. Incidentally, the constitution of these committees had been pending for the past seven years. Having a term of three years, the committees play a key role in the management of various wholesale markets.

Among the committees that have been constituted are Agriculture Produce Market Committee, Shahdara, APMC Najafgarh, APMC Keshopur and Flower Market Committee, Mehrauli.

More than the constitution of the committees, what has come as a major surprise for the party leaders is that the process of nomination of eldermen to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has been suddenly set rolling. The past two Corporations have not had an elderman, who is actually a nominated member to the Corporation and enjoys all the perks and facilities of an elected member.

But for the fact that the elderman is not allowed to vote, he or she acts like a normal member and is entitled to sit in the House and participate in the business, carrying out almost the same work as an elected member. In all, there are 10 posts of elderman in the MCD that have been lying vacant for the past decade.

Since a number of transfers and postings have also taken place at the grade-II level in the recent past, this has also led to speculation on why is there a sudden urgency in the Delhi Government to fulfil tasks that had been pending for long.

While some are seeing a major change round the corner, the other view is that the leadership has the backing of the party high command and the actions are in tune with the attempts to strengthen the Government and the party ahead of the Assembly polls due next year.

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