Delhi Civic Body Approves Request For Transfer Of Committee Powers Amid Chaos

Chaos prevailed during a special session of the MCD House on Monday as opposition councillors stormed into the well, climbed atop Mayor Shelly Oberoi's desk and tore papers to protest a proposal to vest powers of the standing committee in the House.

AAP councillors formed a human chain around Oberoi and jostled with opposition members who surrounded the mayor's desk and tried to snatch her chair to prevent her from speaking. After two failed attempts to hold a discussion on the issue, Oberoi announced late in the evening that the proposal had been passed.

The move will pave the way for the House to pass several proposals that have been pending for months and have affected the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) financial matters.

Oberoi later said the BJP did not want the House to function as it was not concerned about people's welfare.

The special session was called to discuss issues of vesting powers of the standing committee in the House till the time the panel is reconstituted and de-sealing of shops in Delhi markets.

The reconstitution of the 18-member standing committee, the highest decision-making body of the MCD that is responsible for taking all financial decisions, has been pending for the last 10 months.

The House also passed the proposal on the de-sealing of shops.

As soon as Oberoi entered the House, opposition members started raising slogans such as "Tanashahi nahi chalegi" and "Samvidhan ki hatya band karo".

The protesting members stormed into the well of the House with placards, breaking a human chain formed by security personnel around Oberoi. They stood on the mayor's desk, tore the proposal papers and threw the torn pieces in the air.

Leader of Opposition in MCD House Raja Iqbal Singh slammed the ruling AAP, saying vesting the powers of the standing committee in the House would be invalid and unconstitutional.

The House cannot take over the standing committee's powers as there is no such provision in the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, he said.

The opposition councillors also blocked the municipal secretary's office, preventing him from coming out and attending the proceedings of the House. Police personnel had to be called in to defuse the situation.

Amid the chaos, Oberoi announced on a mic that the proposal for handing over the powers of the standing committee to the MCD House till the panel's reconstitution is passed.

Singh said passage of the proposal was unlawful as the municipal secretary and the commissioner were not present in the House.

After the session, Oberoi hit out at the BJP, saying its sole aim was to disrupt the proceedings of the House.

"When I went to the House, my chair was pulled, I was not allowed to take my seat and the House was not allowed to function. All the BJP councillors came to the dais and created a ruckus.

"When I tried to go to the House the second time, their hooliganism continued... But when I went the third time, keeping the welfare of the people and traders of Delhi in mind, we somehow passed both proposals amid pushing and shoving," she said.

According to the rules, proposals above Rs 5 crore cannot be passed without the standing committee's approval.

With the committee's powers now vested in the House, it will be able to clear all such proposals. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)