Walks, exhibitions to mark MCD foundation day events in Delhi

The Nigam Diwas festivities will commemorate 160 years of the municipality coming into existence, the officials said

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to hold a series of events over a three-day period starting June 1 to mark the first “Nigam Diwas” or municipal day, senior officials said on Monday, adding that as part of the festivities, the civic body will host heritage walks, a cultural show, lectures on municipal history, and an exhibition on artefacts.

Some objects — primarily gifts and mementos brought by foreign dignitaries — are already on display near the mayor’s office at the Civic Centre, but many objects still remain in storage. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

The Nigam Diwas festivities will commemorate 160 years of the municipality coming into existence, the officials said.

MCD will also hold cultural programmes and award employees during these celebrations. However, the events will be strictly non-political as the model code of conduct would be in force for the Lok Sabha elections, officials said.

The activities will involve various MCD departments. “Heritage walks will be held in and around the Town Hall area with the help of experts to understand the history of this region. We are also working towards finalising a ‘theme of the year’ concept, for which feedback has been sought from all departments. The history of the municipality and its role in the evolution of Delhi will be showcased,” the official from MCD’s heritage cell said.

Some objects — primarily gifts and mementos brought by foreign dignitaries — are already on display near the mayor’s office at the Civic Centre, but many objects still remain in storage.

“We have asked each department to hold lectures or presentations explaining the challenges faced by them and their future plans. The process to restore municipal artefacts has begun with the help of IGNCA (Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts), and some of these artefacts will be on display during the events,” a second official said.

The official said that more than 6,500 items — which include rare files, flags, artefacts and records — have been retrieved from the old Town Hall, which would be showcased during the celebrations. For instance, in 1905, the prince and princess of Wales (who later went on to become king George V and queen Mary) visited India.

“The municipality had distributed printed handkerchiefs with images of the visitors, and treats were provided to children in bronze plates. We found the files and samples of this muslin cloth, which is now being handed over to IGNCA,” the second official said.

The heritage cell also has copies of proclamations and notifications issued during royal visits, including the proclamation of the death of king Edward VII in 1910. “There are more than 4,000 such files, and we are also starting the process of digitising them,” the official said.

Mayor Shelley Oberoi did not comment on the development.

Leader of the opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party councillor Raja Iqbal Singh said June 1 will be a happy occasion. “The MCD was trifurcated in 2012 and has gone back to its original form. We should find some of the oldest living former MCD employees and facilitate them. But is it also a sad moment that MCD for the last one and a half years is going through an unprecedented crisis, with no committees formed and all critical projects and policies pending due to the non-formation of the standing committee and other panels,” he said.

The first official quoted above said that the municipality of Delhi first came into being in February 1863. “The committee, which acted like a constituent committee, was set up to frame bylaws to run the city in April 1863, and the first meeting of general committee was held with the commissioner in the chair on June 1, 1863,” the official said.

Many local bodies and local authorities we

re looking after municipal affairs, which led to complications and problems faced by various authorities as well as by the people. “A need to have a unified body to administer the Municipal Government of Delhi was strongly felt and accordingly, a unified civic body was set up by Parliament — MCD as it exists came into existence in 1958,” the official added.