Three is a mess, not just a crowd

In 2012, the then Congress government in Delhi headed by Sheila Dikshit trifurcated the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), creating three new entities – East Delhi Municipal Corporation, North Delhi Municipal Corporation and South Delhi Municipal Corporation. The ostensible rationale behind the move was to "improve administrative efficiency" and also make the civic body more people-friendly. The unified MCD was responsible for the civic upkeep of almost 94 per cent of the national capital.

Five years later, the BJP, which now controls all the three civic bodies after sweeping the elections held in April this year, is mulling unifying the three. The reason? Improving administrative efficiency and dealing with financial woes of the three bodies.

Never-ending woes

The corporations, governing eight of the eleven districts of the national capital, have been marred by shortage of funds, corruption and lack of resources. There are a total of 272 wards in the city. The South and North have 104 wards and the East has 64 wards.

According to civic officials, the civic services provided to lakhs of citizens started deteriorating after the trifurcation, when the civic bodies came under the Delhi government, which is responsible to give grants to the bodies for basic functioning.

In 2015, the North Corporation had moved a proposal for unifying the civic bodies, but it could not be carried through. Now, despite the renewed clamour, it remains uncertain if the unification will eventually happen or not.

Proposal for reunification

According to sources, some time ago, the Delhi BJP-led by actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari moved a proposal for reunifying the three corporations and sent it to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. His party colleague and East Delhi MP Maheish Girri also raised the matter in Parliament.

Earlier this year, despite massive anti-incumbency, the BJP riding on the Narendra Modi wave managed to hold on to power in the three municipal corporations. But, BJP leadership believes delivering on the promises would remain a challenge – unless the reunification happens.

Sources say a proposal to reunify the three bodies could be tabled in the Monsoon Session of the Delhi Assembly starting on August 8. However, before that, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) would have to give its assent to the plan. The Aam Aadmi Party government, however, claims it has no idea of any such proposal.

Fund crunch

Of the three corporations, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation with a better division of assets is better off, while North and East have remained on the margins. The East Corporation, which is the smallest of the three civic bodies, with limited assets and sources to generate revenue, remains the worse-hit. In December 2015, on account of not being able to pay salaries to its staff, the city faced a big strike by sanitation workers who converted the capital into a garbage dump. The East Corporation, which had a loan of around Rs 100 crore at the time of the trifurcation, payable to the state government, hasn't been able to repay yet. The East Corporation has the largest number of unauthorised colonies and slum clusters, making it even more difficult for this Corporation to manage with limited funds.

The demand for funds has also been the reason for the continuous tussle between the corporations and the Delhi government.

Post-trifurcation, the corporations spend four times the budget compared to what used to be the total budget earlier. According to Corporation officials, the last budget of the unified MCD for the financial year 2012-13 was Rs 6200 crore.

But, North Corporation's 2017-18 budget alone is Rs 7200 crore while the East Corporation's expenditure for the year is estimated to be Rs 3800 crore. The South Corporation's budget for 2017 is Rs 4500 crore. A senior Corporation official, on the condition of anonymity, said, North MCD's budget alone has surpassed what used to be the unified MCD's budget. Even if we calculate the increase in cost over five years, it might become twice the total budget."

The trifurcation, he said, led to an unequal and unfair division of sources of revenue.

"While the South got all the Type A and B properties for which the property taxes are much higher, the North and East Corporations got left with mid-level and lower property rates. The condition is such that the staff doesn't get salaries for two months at a stretch," he added.

Vijender Gupta, former corporator and leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly, said, "The party has to take a stand on it. There have certainly been problems in the functioning and administration of the civic bodies after the trifurcation."

Subhash Arya, senior BJP leader and former leader of the House, South Corporation, said, "Trifurcation has made the administration more complicated. Also, it has increased the multiplicity of authority thereby reducing the powers of the civic body. There must be a motion again for unifying the three bodies in order to offer better amenities to the city."

Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders still maintain that trifurcation was in favour of Delhi.

The idea of unification can only work if the BJP-led MCDs can change their way of functioning. This existing unification does not cater to the reforms required in the municipal corporation. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is the only civic body which is performing well. All the issues — solid waste management, parking charges, toll tax, all have been a major failure. They are just trying to deviate their failure. —Ajay Maken, Congress leader