Bill to merge three Delhi municipal corporations tabled

By Trend

Three days after the Union Cabinet approved the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2022, the government on Friday introduced the controversial Bill in the Lok Sabha. It aims at merging three municipal corporations of Delhi into a single entity. Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai introduced the Bill after resistance from MPs of the Congress, BSP and RSP, Trend reports citing The Tribune.

Congress MP Manish Tewari cited Part 9A of the Constitution to argue that Parliament did not have the legislative competence to deal with municipal committees, which, he said, was an exclusive domain of the state Assemblies.

Tewari said the introduction of the Bill in the LS was a violation of the Constitution. RSP’s NK Premachandran and BSP’s Ritesh Pandey also raised objection.

MoS Rai later said the Bill was not an affront to the rights of states or to the basic structure of the Constitution and was in accordance with the Constitutional provisions.

“The experience of the past 10 years shows that the municipal corporations could not achieve the objective of furthering the welfare of the people. This Bill seeks to further the development of Delhi,” said Rai, adding that Parliament was authorised to amend any law passed by the Delhi Assembly.