The Hindu : New Delhi News : Mayor allows functioning of MCD Standing Committee

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Mayor allows functioning of MCD Standing Committee

Staff Reporter

‘It will be deemed functional till one year of its constitution’

Customary draw of lots to identify the nine members to be ejected will take place on March 31

Delhi Mayor Arti Mehra

NEW DELHI: Asserting her power at the very fag end of her tenure, Delhi Mayor Arti Mehra on Thursday granted the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi permission to continue holding meetings till a new committee is constituted.

The Mayor said she had arrived at her decision after prolonged discussions with the Additional Solicitor-General, Gopal Subramanium, on interpretation of specific sections of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act pertaining to the annual dissolution of the MCD Standing Committee and its consequent reformation.

“The Additional Solicitor-General has made it clear that the Standing Committee will be deemed functional for one year from the date of its constitution. Even the Chief Law Officer is of a similar view that the Committee can continue to hold meetings up to May 3,” said Ms. Mehra.

However, the customary draw of lots to identify the nine members to be ejected will take place on March 31.

“Lots will be drawn to identify which members are being ejected so that the relevant zones can nominate new candidates to replace the ousted members. Three members will be chosen from the House while six (one from each zone) will be chosen from the ward committees.” said MCD Standing Committee Chairman Vijender Gupta. Mr. Gupta said all statutory bodies of the MCD were strengthened by this landmark decision as it allowed extension of their powers to check the functioning of the executive wing.

However, a special meeting of the House conducted for debating this issue on Thursday was disrupted when Congress councillors demanded immediate annulment of the Standing Committee since it was “a tradition that the Committee is dissolved by March 31 every year”.

Opposition leader J.K. Sharma later led an entourage of Congress councillors to the Lieutenant-Governor’s Office demanding his intervention in the matter.

Former Delhi Mayor Farhad Suri said the Lieutenant-Government had assured his party members that he would seek an opinion in the matter from the Solicitor-General, the Union and State Law Ministry and then arrive at a conclusion.

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