Delhi's merged municipal body to not have more than 250 seats: Bill

The bill proposes that the total number of seats of councillors and those reserved for Scheduled Castes members in the merged body will be determined by the Central government through a notification in the official gazette

The number of seats in the merged municipal corporation of Delhi will not exceed 250, and a special officer may be appointed to oversee its function till the first meeting of the body is held under the reunification law, according to a bill on the merger.

The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, circulated to Lok Sabha members, also said the 2011 trifurcation of the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi was "uneven" in terms of territorial divisions and revenue generating potential.

The bill proposes that the total number of seats of councillors and those reserved for Scheduled Castes members in the merged body will be determined by the Central government through a notification in the official gazette.

The bill is listed for introduction in Lok Sabha on March 25.

"Upon the completion of each census after the establishment of the Corporation, the number of seats shall be on the basis of the population of Delhi as ascertained at that census and shall be determined by the central government..." the bill states.

According to one of the provisions of the bill, the total number of seats in the merged body "shall in no case be more than two hundred and fifty (250)..." At present, the three corporations in Delhi -- North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations -- have a total of 272 seats. While North and South corporations have 104 seats each, the East corporation has 64.

The bill has a provision that the Central Government may, "if necessary", appoint a person to be called the "Special Officer", to exercise the power and discharge the functions of the Corporation until the date on which the first meeting of the body is held after the commencement of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022.