‘Ward delimitation exercise likely from Monday’
The Hindu
MCD, SEC employees will be part of the procedure
Employees under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the State Election Commission (SEC) will be involved in the delimitation of wards in the national capital, the work for which is likely to start from Monday, a source familiar with the development said.
The source added that the MCD has deployed its staffers for the delimitation exercise in the past, while the delimitation committee is currently awaiting a gazette notification from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
“The MCD also bore certain costs of the exercise in the past and it is not a new practice to include the employees in this exercise. The gazette notification, which is likely to be issued soon, will specify the exact number of wards that have to be carved out, among other specifications,” the source said, adding that the decision was taken after the delimitation committee’s meeting on Tuesday.
The MHA has formed a three-member delimitation committee with State Election Commissioner Vijay Dev as its Chairman. The committee is required to submit its report on the exercise within four months from the date of its constitution (July 8). However, the committee is yet to start work as it awaits the gazette notification.
“The exact number of MCD employees that will be a part of this exercise will be decided only after the notification is issued,” the source added.
The need for the delimitation exercise arose after the Centre’s decision to amend the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act (1957) – which includes a reduction in the number of councillor seats to “not more than 250” from the existing 272 seats.
Civic polls in the Capital were slated to be held in April. But the then State Election Commissioner S K Srivastava’s decision to declare the poll dates on March 8 was postponed hours before the announcement due to the Centre’s plan to renuify the erstwhile three municipal corporations.