By IANS,
New Delhi : In a decision of considerable significance for the citizens of Delhi, the central government has in principle agreed to put the poorly-run Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) under the control of the state government, a home ministry official said.
The civic body, which is controlled by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, is currently under the union government and is run by the home ministry.
“We have approved it (placing MCD under the Delhi government). A note has been sent to the Delhi government,” a senior home ministry official confirmed to IANS.
“Things will be formalised within the next week,” he added.
Successive chief ministers, in particular present Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, have been pleading for placing the MCD, perceived by the average citizen as a highly corrupt and unresponsive local body, under the control of the state government to streamline its functioning and make it accountable to the public.
The MCD came into existence April 7, 1958, under an act of parliament. It is one of three civic bodies in Delhi and caters to 96 percent of the total area of the city. The others are the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which looks after an area of about 42 sq km of central Delhi, and the Delhi Cantonment Board.
Delhi is ruled by a Congress-led government.