Standing committee formation gets closer, but faces tough road ahead

New Delhi
Projects that have been paused for over 20 months due to the policy paralysis within the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) moved a step closer to being implemented on Wednesday, with the completion of the wards committee polls marking a significant step towards constituting the all-powerful standing committee, which has the authority to approve budgets.
However, the standing committee is still a member short as Dwarka councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat vacated her post upon being elected a Parliamentarian from the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. Given the long-drawn political and legal tussles, which have extended to the Supreme Court there is a tough road ahead for the formation of the standing committee.
For instance, on Wednesday, mayor Shelly Oberoi again questioned the legality of the polls, a day after she refused to appoint presiding officers, forcing the lieutenant governor to intervene in the matter.
A senior MCD official said the future course of action depends on the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) stance. “The mayor’s letter to the commissioner questions the very basis of the elections held on Wednesday and without her consent the election for the 18th member of standing committee can also not be held as mayor is in charge of all house-related proceedings. The formation of the committee in next few weeks is still an uphill task as without the 18th member, the panel cannot be considered complete,” the official, requesting anonymity, said.
A second official said that even without any friction, it may still take a month-and-a-half to hold the election for the vacant seat. “The election can only be held in a house meeting, where all councillors will elect the member. If mayor agrees, the election can be held in the September meeting of the house. The standing committee can be put in place in next month and a half,” the official said.
Smaller works, such as road repairs, drainage, parks and maintenance works in zones will continue as zonal ward committees can approve projects of up to ₹1 crore, with no cap on the number of projects, officials said.
Of the 18 standing committee posts, BJP has secured nine, ensuring the end result is in its favour or a tie.
Leader of Opposition and former mayor, Raja Iqbal Singh, said no work was done by MCD for two years. “All works have stopped over the last two years. We have won seven of 12 zones. It is an important milestone for people of Delhi as the projects are stuck in the absence of standing committee. Councillors can also now approach wards committees and get their local issues resolved,” he said.
AAP did not respond to requests for comment post-polling.
Projects and policies
The standing committee’s approval is required for all projects having a scope of more than ₹5 crore.
A senior MCD official from the sanitation department said that two major projects for which there is renewed hope include the approvals for clearing landfill sites and the proposal for hiring a new concessionaire for the Central zone. “The tender process for removal of more than 80 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste from Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur sites has been initiated but the final award can only be made by the committee. The previous round of hiring new operators failed and bids lapsed in the absence of the panel. This is the top priority to be kept before the panel,” the official said.
The formation of the panel may also translate to better garbage management in the Central zone which covers areas and wards of Daryaganj, Siddharth Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Andrewsganj, Amar Colony, parts of Sangam Vihar, Kalkaji, Sriniwaspuri, Tughalaqabad and Sarita Vihar.
A senior MCD official from the town planning department said that layout plans of major infrastructure projects can only be cleared by the standing committee and more than 60 such projects are currently stuck. “These include layout plan approval for new DTC township in Hari Nagar, hostel towers for Delhi University, IIFT Maidangarhi and another multi-storey tower on DDU Marg near Press building. The committee is also needed for approval of layout plans for three model unauthorised colonies, which will be used as template for regularisation of all such colonies,” the official said.
The constitution of the panel is also key to operationalising Delhi’s first pet park in Jangpura, which needs an operator, and setting up the impending Shahjahanabad museum and interpretation centre near Lahori Gate. “We are also unable to appoint a new operator for collection of toll tax in the Capital and the contractor of the previous operator was originally ended on April 10,” the official, requesting anonymity, said.