New Delhi

Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022 to unify all the three municipal corporations of Delhi-- North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation, and East Delhi Municipal Corporation-- into one entity will come into force on May 22. A Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notification mentions the declaration.

With the move, the three present municipal corporations of Delhi will be treated as one Municipal Corporation of Delhi from May 22. The move comes almost one month after the Rajya Sabha on April 5 passed with a voice vote the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to merge the three municipal corporations of Delhi into a single entity.

The Act seeks to unify the three municipal corporations into a single, integrated and well-equipped entity to ensure a robust mechanism for synergised and strategic planning and optimal utilisation of resources. Through the Act, the Centre proposed to appoint a "Special officer" who will essentially discharge the functions of the elected wing of councillors in the interim till the first meeting of the new corporation is held.

The Act aims to merge three municipal corporations of Delhi into a single entity by seeking an amendment to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957. The Act was amended in 2011 by Delhi Legislative Assembly to trifurcate the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi into North, South, and East Delhi Municipal Corporation.

The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on March 30. The bill proposes to completely omit the section on directors, and local bodies in the amended act that governs the functioning of the MCDs.

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