Delhi mayor holds review meets with officials

Shelly Oberoi held review meetings with all additional commissioners on Wednesday, followed by reviews with deputy commissioners on Thursday

The newly elected Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) mayor Shelly Oberoi has started a series of review meetings with the senior municipal bureaucrats and will conduct field inspections in all 12 administrative zones of the Capital over the next two weeks, officials in the know of the matter said Thursday.

Shelly Oberoi said she will ensure each zone is well-maintained and provided with the necessary resources to address any issues. (ANII)

According to a senior municipal official, Oberoi held review meetings with all additional commissioners on Wednesday, followed by reviews with deputy commissioners on Thursday. “A meeting with the heads of the departments is expected on Friday and ward-wise plans are being drawn up for field inspections,” the official said, asking not be named. He added the mayor was accompanied by AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi during these meetings. To be sure, Atishi and Bhardwaj will soon occupy vacancies left in the wake of resignations by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, who have been arrested over their alleged roles in separate cases.

A municipal official said that the Oberoi will soon begin reviewing the ground situation of MCD’s works. “The mayor met with all the zonal deputy commissioners (DCs) to review the conditions of all 12 municipal zones. The meeting was particularly important as zonal DCs look after the municipal administration in their zones and implement policies,” the official said.

In an official statement issued by the mayor’s office on Thursday, Oberoi said she will ensure each zone is well-maintained and provided with the necessary resources to address any issues. “In the next two weeks, the mayor will visit each zone to personally check the situation on the ground. We are working towards fulfilling MCD’s mandate to provide citizens with quality services,” the statement said.

Oberoi said she will work towards creating a better and more livable Delhi in accordance with the government’s ten guarantees in run up to the MCD election. “We will leave no stone unturned in transforming MCD. The initiatives undertaken by the Delhi government, including mohalla clinics, improvement in public transport, and the focus on developing models of education and healthcare, are significantly impacting the quality of life of Delhi’s residents. We will also develop a model of municipal governance and show the world the real potential of MCD.”

The area under the municipal corporation is divided into 12 administrative zones, each headed by a deputy commissioner. The municipal commissioner heads 150,000 municipal staffers while the powers of commissioner are delegated to the deputy commissioner in each zone. Additional commissioners at the MCD headquarters assist the commissioner by overseeing a group of departments such as finance, central establishments, education, law, horticulture, hospital administration, among others. While the deliberative wing comprising the mayor, house of councillors and statutory committees formulates policies, the executive wing is tasked with implementing these policies and the obligatory functions mentioned in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.

Shelly Oberoi was elected as mayor of Delhi on February 22 by defeating BJP’s Rekha Gupta. Oberoi received 150 of 266 votes. The standing committee elections could not be completed despite a prolonged session over a dispute regarding validity of a vote, and the matter will be heard by the Delhi high court on March 22. The tenure of the mayor is expected to be end on March 31 and fresh elections will be held in April.