MCD-trifurcation bill tabled, House dismissed

The Sheila Dikshit government, on Wednesday , in a special session of the Assembly, tabled a bill to trifurcate the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) amid pandemonium by BJP MLAs, who wanted assurance that FDI in retail will not be implemented in the city.u00a0

Tabling the bill on the first day, urban development minister, Raj Kumar Chauhan said division of the MCD was felt necessary to improve civic services. BJP MLAs, slogan shouting, demanded a discussion on the issue of FDI in retail and power tariff hike.u00a0

"Serious concerns had been expressed for quite sometime about the constant deteriorating state of basic civic services in Delhi and ever-increasing woes of Delhiites on that account," Chauhan said.u00a0As soon as the House had assembled, Leader of Opposition VK Malhotra demanded taking up a discussion on FDI in retail and hike in power tariff, drawing strong reactions from the treasury bench. "We demand a discussion on FDI as well as a statement from Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit that the FDI in retail will not be allowed in Delhi," he said.u00a0

As BJP MLAs shouted slogans in support of their demands, Speaker Yoganand Shastri first adjourned the House for half-an-hour and then again for 10 minutes after Chauhan tabled the bill. The Speaker adjourned the House for the day when it met after the second adjournment as BJP MLAs again rushed to the Well of the House.u00a0

Later, Dikshit said, "We want a discussion on the bill. But if they (BJP) do not want to participate in the discussion, it is okay. We are confident of passage of the bill tomorrow," she said after the session.u00a0

The bill provides for greater powers to the city government as the proposed directorate of local bodies, which will work under it's administrative control, will coordinate functions of the three corporations and frame recruitment rules besides resolving functional anomalies among the new bodies.u00a0