Councillors protest use of English while conducting election

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From the Tribune, Chandighar

  Move to reshape MCD decried in House Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 27

The Centres decision to set up a committee to study the issue of
restructuring of the MCD today came in for flak from members of the MCD
House. Speaking at a meeting of the House under the chairmanship of the
new mayor Mr Farhat Suri, leader of the opposition in the MCD Mr Subhash
Arya of the BJP termed the Centres decision  taken in cognisance of
suggestions from some quarters to break up the MCD into smaller bodies in
administrative interests  as politically motivated in view of the Assembly
polls in Delhi.

If at all any such committee had to be set up, it should have been done
three to four years ago. Announcing the setting up of the committee just
when the polls are around the corner seems to be a politically motivated
move, he said.

As reported yesterday, the committee, which will study the issue of
restructuring of the MCD and suggest an appropriate model, is headed by
former Delhi chief secretary Mr Omesh Saigal. It has the following as
members: union home secretary, union urban development secretary, Prof.
V.N. Alok from Indian Institute of Public Administration and West Bengals
secretary, municipal affairs. Mr O.P. Kelkar, principal secretary, urban
development, will be the member secretary. The committee has been asked to
submit its report within a period of two months.

The financial and administrative viability of setting up smaller bodies in
place of the MCD should have been worked out before announcing the
formation of the committee, Mr Arya said.

In this context, he pointed at the woefully inadequate collections by the
MCD by way of house tax. Out of a target of over Rs 1500 crore, the actual
house tax collection last year was just about Rs 500 crore.

All such facts should be considered while taking any decision on
restructuring of MCD, he said. Speaking on the issue, leader of the House
Mr Jitender Kochar said he would present his views to the committee when
called upon to do so.

It is quite possible that the committee could come up with a suggestion or
two on ways to manage civic services efficiently, he said.

According to one school of thought, instead of restructuring the MCD, a
better solution to the present woes of the Corporation might be to grant
more powers to deputy commissioners of the respective zones to enable them
to manage civic facilities efficiently.

Meanwhile, councillors cutting across party lines objected to the use of
English language by Mr Farhad Suri while conducting the election of
various committees of the Corporation. Some councillors protested that
they were unable to understand the foreign language

However, the mayor, who represents Nizamuddin segment, continued using the
language during election of the committees. He assured the members that
other proceedings of the House would be conducted in Hindi, Urdu or
Punjabi.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060428/delhi.htm