Taking a note of a large-scale objection to its draft report on delimitation of 272 municipal wards, the State Election Commission is in the process to redraw the geographical boundaries of several wards in the national Capital.
With the municipal elections expected in April next year, the commission is all set to prepare the new draft by 15 November.
Top sources said as many as 600 objections had been received against the commission's draft delimitation report. For instance, the draft report had suggested to separate village and unauthorised colony of one ward. “The villagers demanded that the new ward be renamed after their village. And those living in the unauthorised colony demanded their ward be named after their colony,” said sources.
Many people had pointed out that their different properties in the existing ward would fall under different wards. A shopkeeper in Narela said : “I have a shop and a house in the same ward. But if the draft report is implemented, both my properties will fall under different wards. That means I will have to visit separate municipal offices to pay my property tax.” The boundary of Narela ward was created through railway line but later in the draft delimitation report, boundary was decided by road which objected by local residents. Similarly some people are not happy with rename of the ward while some people are unhappy as their entire ward has been shifted to another assembly constituency. Some suggestions came regarding change of ward's name in the name of unauthorised colonies. For instances, villagers of Chhawla want to retain their ward's name while residents of Shyam Vihar colony which is part of the Chhawla village, demanding that ward should be named at the name of Shyam Vihar and it should not be on the name of village.
Sources further said the fresh delimitation drive will be carried out on the basis of population size varying between 50,000 and 70,000 for each ward.
The State Election Commission had in September sought suggestions and objections from political parties, aspiring candidates and general public to its draft report on delimitation of municipal wards. The report had proposed changes in the geographical boundaries of about 150 wards. The drafty report had proposed new wards on the basis of the population size of about 60,000 people as per the 2011 Census. Each of the existing 272 municipal wards had been carved out on the basis of the population size of 40,000 people in 2007.
The commission had carried out the delimitation exercise on the directions of lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung, who was entrusted by the Centre to demarcate new wards as per the provisions of Sections 3 and 5 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957. The last delimitation of MCD wards carried out in 2007 was based on the 2001 Census. later, 136 wards were increased to 272 after the trifurcation of the municipal corporation in 2012.
The draft report had suggested that the number of wards in each of the Assembly segments were bound to vary from two to seven in Delhi. At present, each of the 70 Assembly segments has four municipal wards under its jurisdiction.