New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) The AAP and Congress gave a thumb down to the draft order on delimitation of municipal wards in Delhi, calling in question the range of population variations and changes in physical boundaries of wards.
The BJP, which has ruled the MCD since 2007, called it “okay”.
The office of the Delimitation Committee for Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) wards on Monday issued a draft order inviting suggestions and objections from political parties and general public.
The central government had earlier this year unified the erstwhile South, North, and East municipal corporations of Delhi, reducing the earlier 272 wards to 250 under the sole MCD.
The three major political parties in Delhi- BJP, AAP, and Congress — said they were still analysing the draft order on delimitation and will submit their suggestions after getting feedback from their leaders and workers in different parts of the city.
The preliminary feedback is that delimitation of wards has been done in a rather “illogical manner”, said AAP’s Delhi unit convener Gopal Rai.
“Those involved in delimitation of ward just picked one Mohalla (locality) from a ward and put it in another ward. They didn’t even know which area is being kept in which ward and why,” Rai said, citing an example.
Rai, who is the development minister in AAP government in Delhi, said under the draft, the population in some wards varies from around 45,000 to over 75,000.
“So the development fund for one ward with 45,000 people will be similar to that for the ward with 75,000 people which will create issues,” he said.
He said the AAP is reviewing the draft and will submit its suggestions based on experience from the ground.
Delhi BJP general secretary Harsh Malhotra termed the draft delimitation as “more or less okay”.
“There are some errors however, like crossing of physical boundaries such major roads and drains within wards that could be confusing for voters, and a particular locality figuring in two wards,” he said.
“Such anomalies we hope will be removed.” Urban Affairs expert Jagdish Mamgai termed the draft lacking in “homogeneity”. As per Census 2011, Delhi with a population of 1.64 crore was required to be divided into 250 wards with each having an average population of 65,000, he said.
However, under draft delimitation there are on one hand wards like Chandni Chowk, Laxmi Nagar, Sriram Colony, Kalkaji, Gokulpuri, and Greater Kailash, which have a population that ranges between 35,000 to just above 45,000.
On the other hand, there are wards which have more than 80,000-90000 people living in them, he said.
Mayur Vihar Phase I, Trilokpuri, Sangam Vihar, Wazirpur, Saboli, kalyanpuri, Aman Vihar, and Nihal Vihar, are some of these wards,which have twice as many people as there are in some of the smaller wards, he said.
Besides wards, deep population variations exist at the assembly segment level too, he claimed.
In Narela assembly constituency, Narela ward population is 49,517, while Holambikalan ward in it has a population of 82,877.
Similarly, in Kirari assembly segment, Kirari ward population is 51,806, while Aman Vihar ward there has a population of 86,546, he said.
Authorities should strive to ensure homogeneity of ward at the level of assembly constituencies if it cannot be done in all the wards in Delhi, Mamgai suggested.
The Delhi Congress leaders also cited several shortcomings in the draft delimitation.
“In Okhla Assembly, areas under Sarita Vihar ward having a sizeable population of minorities has been shifted to Abul Fazal Enclave ward.
“This will make it tough for Congress to win Sarita Vihar where the party candidate had won twice earlier,” said Delhi Congress communication department vice chairman Parvez Alam.
He said that delimitation committee of the party will meet to discuss the issues related with redrawing of the municipal wards on Tuesday.
The stakeholders have been given time till October 3 to submit their objections and suggestions to the Delimitation Committee. PTI VIT VIT VN VN
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Source: The Print
