Trifurcation of civic body likely to take more time

Division of Municipal Corporation of Delhi into smaller units may not happen as early as chief minister Sheila Dikshit and her cabinet colleagues would have liked to see it happen. HT reports.

Division of Municipal Corporation of Delhi into smaller units may not happen as early as chief minister Sheila Dikshit and her cabinet colleagues would have liked to see it happen.

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With Congress councillors and Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee member raising voice against Dikshit’s “autocratic” behaviour, sources said the Congress leadership has asked her government not to send the proposal to MHA anytime soon.

Sources said Congress president has asked her senior party colleagues to talk to Dikshit and DPCC office-bearers and find a way out.

About 15 Congress councillors met Sonia Gandhi at her residence on Friday morning and discussed the issue.

“We explained her how we lost the elections in 2007 and how division of MCD in smaller units would work in favour of regional parties and Congress would further lose. She gave patient hearing and assured us that senior party leaders

would intervene,” leader of opposition in MCD Jai Kishan Sharma said.

The Cabinet on Thursday approved the recommendations of three-member Walia panel to split MCD in five smaller units and increase the number of councillors from 272 to 408.

Meanwhile, AICC general secretary and in-charge of Delhi affairs Chaudhary Virendra Singh told reporters that the issue would be first discussed at the party level before sending it to the MHA for its approval.