At first meet in 2.5 years, crucial MCD panel to discuss 125+ proposals

Civic officials said that the town planning department alone has moved 73 proposals seeking approval for layout plans of delayed projects.

After more than two and a half years of legal and political gridlock, the standing committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has finally been constituted—clearing the way for over 125 long-pending proposals to move forward. The powerful panel, which controls the MCD’s purse strings, is expected to meet for the first time next week, with a barrage of infrastructure and civic improvement projects on its agenda, according to civic officials.

A view of the MCD Civic Centre Building in New Delhi. (Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times)

Civic officials said that the town planning department alone has moved 73 proposals seeking approval for layout plans of delayed projects. “More proposals are being added each day. Most of these pertain to layout approvals that have been stalled for the last two and a half years,” a senior municipal official said.

Key projects awaiting clearance include DTC group housing schemes in Hari Nagar and Shadipur, hostel towers near Dhaka village in north Delhi for Delhi University, and revisions in the layout plan of Moolchand Hospital. Changes have also been proposed for the plans of Sri Ram College of Commerce, St Stephen’s College, and the Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar.

“The town planning department has also forwarded projects for change in layout plan of Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) and St Stephen’s college. We have also received a proposal regarding Rajya Sabha secretariat RK Puram Sector 12, re-settlement schemes in Sultanpuri and Mangolpuri and Kisan Mandi agribusiness in Alipur,” the official cited above said, asking not to be identified.

Beyond urban planning, proposals from other departments have also poured in—ranging from the procurement of larvicides and insecticides to the setting up of a waste ingesta paunch plant at the Ghazipur slaughterhouse. Several audit-related matters are also lined up for discussion.

The 18-member standing committee comprises 12 members elected from zonal ward committees and six elected directly elected by the House of Councillors.

However, this powerful panel’s formation had remained stuck for 30-months due to a political and legal tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In February 2023, elections for six directly elected members descended into chaos after then-mayor Shelly Oberoi called for a repoll.

Later, the BJP took the matter to the Delhi high court, which on May 23, 2024, set aside Oberoi’s ruling, resulting in both the AAP and BJP securing three seats each. Several disputes have arisen in the interim period with matters being taken to the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court.

On June 12, BJP councillor Satya Sharma was finally elected chairperson of the committee after the party’s win in this year’s mayoral polls, cementing its control over the crucial body.

In the absence of the committee, MCD had to repeatedly extend contracts to private agencies for key services, including garbage collection in the Central Zone, which covers several VIP areas in New Delhi. Delays also plagued major initiatives such as biomining at landfills, outsourcing of operations at the Jangpura pet park, renewal of toll tax collection contracts, and the creation of the Shahjahanabad Museum and Interpretation Centre near Lahori Gate.

With the standing committee now in place, civic officials say they expect a long-pending logjam to finally break, giving the city’s stalled projects a long-overdue push forward.