BJP MP from New Delhi constituency Meenakshi lekhi on Friday was appointed as the presiding officer of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). lekhi, who defeated Congress heavyweight Ajay Maken in her debut lok Sabha election, took the oath after the civic body received an official notification from the Union Home Ministry. MlA from New Delhi constituency, Arvind Kejriwal, who is also a NDMC member, was present at the ceremony as well.
The new NDMC chief made a number of announcements on the occasion, ranging from the construction of flats (for both the economically weaker sections and the well-off), to making the NDMC area plastic-free. However, in a major relief for the employees of the civic body, the BJP MP directed the council to provide subsidy in power bills for even those who do not reside in the areas under the jurisdiction of NDMC. Till now, the subsidy is only provided to those employees who reside in the NDMC areas.
Talking about the problem of tehbazari (street vending), lekhi said the NDMC should find effective solutions to deal with it. lekhi will be the second MP to be part of the Council after amendments were made in the NDMC Act in 2011. Before lekhi, the Congress MP from New Delhi, Ajay Maken, was its member. As per the amendment, the MP and MlA of the New Delhi lok Sabha and Assembly constituency automatically become members of the council. The ceremony was held during the council meeting which was also attended by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and other council members.