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The Delhi State Election Commission was slated to announce the polling dates on March 9. But the EC postponed the announcement at the last moment after the Centre expressed its intention to merge the three local bodies. Municipal governance in Delhi is in dire need of reform. In the past seven years, strikes by municipal agency employees over non-payment of salaries — including by doctors amid the raging pandemic — have compromised the national capital’s capacity to deal with its myriad civic problems. Now, on Tuesday, the capital’s longstanding need for stable civic administration got mired in controversy after the Union cabinet cleared a Bill that envisages the merger of Delhi’s three municipalities — East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). The Centre has said that unification will improve the local body’s financial standing. That’s correct, to an extent. It’s the timing of the move, however, that has raised eyebrows. Delhi’s AAP-run government, which has had a troubled relationship with the BJP-dominated municipalities, contends that the merger is a ruse to defer the impending civic polls in the capital — the terms of the local bodies end in May.
The Delhi State Election Commission was slated to announce the polling dates on March 9. But the EC postponed the announcement at the last moment after the Centre expressed its intention to merge the three local bodies. The Delhi government alleged that the Centre’s decision was hastened by the exit polls on the Punjab assembly elections — the AAP went on to win a thumping mandate in the state. The party which, by all accounts, was poised to mount a strong challenge to the BJP in Delhi municipal polls, has accused the Centre of shying away from the problems of the local bodies.
The Delhi municipality was divided into three agencies in 2012 to decentralise local governance. The trifurcation not only failed its stated objective but also pushed the city’s local administration into a financial quagmire. The NDMC, which has the largest number of hospitals and schools, and the EDMC, which administers some of the poorest localities in Delhi, have struggled for revenues while the SDMC has done relatively better. Unification could correct some of this imbalance. However, much more will be required to put the city’s municipal finances in order. The BJP has repeatedly accused the Delhi government of not paying the municipalities their dues in time. The AAP has countered by demanding that the Centre allocate funds for civic bodies in Delhi in the same way it does for other states. It’s time that the issue of the capital’s municipal funding is resolved, in a way that is credible and transparent.
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