Major decisions to be taken by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s executive wing will be delayed since a Mayor is yet to be elected more than 50 days after the civic poll results were declared, according to senior MCD officials.
On Tuesday, the MCD House failed to elect a Mayor for the second time after the meeting was adjourned amid a ruckus that broke out just as the election process was about to begin. The incident comes more than two weeks after the maiden House meeting was adjourned due to clashes between AAP and BJP councillors.
While a new date for the next meeting was yet to be fixed by the Lieutenant-Governor’s office, a senior MCD official said the civic body was likely to propose a date in the first week of February. When reached for a comment, a senior AAP leader said the party wants the Mayor’s election to be held at the earliest.
In the current scenario, according to senior MCD officials, the Special Officer will continue to remain in his post till the Mayor is elected. However, major decisions — related to policy matters, development works and projects that require major financial investment, among others — will have to wait till the procedures, including the constitution of the standing committee, are completed.
“The special officer holds the power to take such decisions. But we want to avoid conflict with the councillors who may or may not be on board with the decision. In the meantime, day-to-day work will continue,” said the senior MCD official.
However, he added, crucial decisions that are bound by a deadline – such as the civic body’s annual budget which has to be cleared by February 15, according to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act – will have to be taken by the Special Officer, if the current scenario prevails.
Apart from electing a Mayor, the first meeting of the MCD’s newly elected House sees the Deputy Mayor’s election, followed by the election of six members to the civic body’s standing committee.
After the Mayor is elected, the presiding officer’s role comes to an end while the Mayor presides over the meeting to conduct the Deputy Mayor and standing committee elections. “However, if the House is adjourned after the Mayor is elected, then the latter will also hold the powers of the standing committee’s chairperson till the standing committee is constituted,” said another senior MCD official.
The official added that the constitution of the civic body’s standing committee, ward committees and other panels will also face a delay.
