MCD house meeting erupts in chaos as Delhi mayor passes agenda amid protests

The house meeting, which began 45 minutes late, quickly turned unruly as opposition councillors showed up with placards

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) house meeting on Saturday, which lasted barely 10 minutes, ended with protests from opposition councillors as mayor Shelly Oberoi passed three of the six new agenda items. The opposition, led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillors, demanded the election of a Dalit mayor and accused the mayor of bypassing due process. A senior MCD official from municipal secretariat said that a total of 22 policy proposals were taken up on Saturday, out which ten have been declared passed, two have been referred back to the commissioner and the remaining ten have been postponed for further consideration in the next house meeting.

BJP councillors protest in the House on Saturday. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The three agenda items passed pertained to MCD’s daily functioning, including the procurement of larvicide, engaging an agency for data entry operators, and addressing an attendance-related issue. However, larger issues such as the renewal of MCD’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group (which advises on sanitation), allotting land to Delhi Metro near Prashant Vihar metro station, and setting a date for the constitution of MCD’s standing committee were postponed amidst the protests by the opposition, said officials.

The house meeting, which began 45 minutes late, quickly turned unruly as opposition councillors showed up with placards and raised slogans demanding the mayor to resign. The house erupted into chaos after the opposition demanded fresh elections for the mayor and sixth MCD standing committee member.

However, Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh, leader of the opposition from the BJP, criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for passing resolutions without a majority of AAP councillors present. He alleged that despite 94 BJP and six Congress councillors beingpresentfor the meeting, AAP passed the agenda items with only 81 members in attendance. BJP councillors subsequently wrote to the municipal commissioner, declaring the resolutions illegal and accusing the mayor of violating the MCD Act by not holding a vote.

“The Mayor has violated the MCD Act by not holding a vote, and the resolutions passed today stand null and void. We do not want to obstruct the public interest but aim to ensure that the MCD functions according to the rules. Since AAP came to power, they have been openly violating the MCD Act. We have also come to know that AAP councillors are frustrated with repeated violations of the MCD Act and obstruction of the mayor’s election. This is why AAP councillors have been reducing in number and not attending party meetings,” said Iqbal.

Meanwhile, AAP-appointed leader of the house, Mukesh Goel, highlighted that Delhi’s voters have entrusted AAP with the responsibility to run the house, but BJP councillors are not letting the house function. He further said that the BJP’s allegation about passing items on the agenda is unsubstantiated, and all the items were passed without any objection. “When the items on the agenda were getting passed, BJP councillors were busy creating a ruckus and trying to snatch papers from the hands of the mayor; they should have objected,” Goel added.

BJP leader of oppositionRaja Iqbal Singhand wards committee chairmen have written a letter to the municipal commissioner Ashwani Kumar and mayor and stating that the proposals passed in the House must be brought afresh in the next meeting as AAP did not have majority in the house and its calls for voting were not entertained.

Among the ten proposals passed by the house during the ruckus on Saturday, the most important one deals with the hiring of a new collection agency for levying toll tax and environment compensation cess (ECC) on the 154 toll plazas on the border points of the city. The proposal has been passed with a rider that it will later need approval of standing committee—whenever it is constituted.

An MCD official said that if the corporation does not pass this proposal then it will incur a loss of about ₹38 crores annually. “At present this work is being carried out by the private company by paying ₹825.93 crores annually. The work extension granted to the company is ending on October. As per the new rates, MCD will get ₹864 crores per year under five year contract,” official added. To be sure, this will not lead to an increase in the toll tax at the user’s end.

Earlier, the mayor had adjourned the session on September 26, scheduling the next meeting for October 5 to include the election of the last standing committee member. However, lieutenant governor VK Saxena intervened, requesting that the election be conducted the same day. Only BJP members participated in the subsequent election, with AAP councillors walking out. BJP’s Sunder Singh was elected as the last standing committee member with 115 votes.

Following the tussle mayor Shelly Oberoi appealed to the Supreme Court, challenging the election. On September 29, the Supreme Court questioned the “tearing hurry” shown by the office of lieutenant governor VK Saxena in conducting the polls. Oberoi’s petition argued that the election was unconstitutional and violated the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act and related rules. Meanwhile on October 4, the Supreme Court further asked the LG how he could exercise such power. It also held that the LG’s move interfered with the democratic process as Section 487 is an executive power.

The ongoing political and legal tussle between the BJP and AAP over control of the standing committee, which holds significant power over MCD’s financial decisions, has been ongoing for 20 months. Of the 18 standing committee members, 12 are elected through zonal wards, and six are elected by the house of councillors. Currently, the BJP holds 10 seats, while the AAP holds eight.