Amid ruckus, the House of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Tuesday gave its nod to 54 proposals including a policy to provide Rs 1,100 per child to students in MCD schools, principals' training in foreign institutions, and a meat shop licence policy allowing a minimum distance of 150 metres between a meat shop and a religious place. The new meat shop policy has led to a political slugfest with the BJP claiming that the Congress is the B team of the ruling AAP.
After the meeting, Mayor Dr Shelly Oberai said the House has approved the proposal to regularise 5,000 sanitisation workers and promote 3,100 domestic breeding checkers (DBC) to Multi Tasking Staff (MTS) and a meat shop licence policy. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind took to X to congratulate the regularised sanitation workers. In a post in Hindi, he said, "Today, Aam Aadmi Party has passed the proposal to appoint 5000 sanitation workers in Delhi Municipal Corporation. We fulfilled what we promised. Many congratulations to all the confirmed sanitation workers and their families for this wonderful gift received on Diwali. Serve the people of Delhi wholeheartedly, together we will make Delhi a clean and beautiful city."
BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor and BJP councillor and Leader of Opposition Raja Iqbal Singh alleged that the AAP has "undermined the constitutional process" by "bypassing" the laid down procedure.
Later in a press conference, Mayor Oberoi said the House, which was adjourned for the day, passed 54 proposals, postponed three while it rejected one proposal. "We tabled several policies today for the benefit of the people of Delhi. However, the opposition created hindrance in the working of the House and did not allow the proceedings to begin. As a result, the House passed some of the agendas listed today," the Mayor told reporters.
The meat shop licence policy approved by the House mandates a minimum distance of 150 metres between a meat shop and a religious place for granting new or renewed licenses for meat shops, meat processing units, and packaging or storage plants, among other such establishments.
As part of the approved proposal for principals' training, the head of MCD schools will be able to take part in training programmes at esteemed foreign universities such as Cambridge and Oxford universities.
The Leader of Opposition Raja Iqbal Singh in a press conference alleged that the AAP has "undermined the constitutional process" in the Municipal Corporation by approving the proposals and "bypassing" the laid down procedure as mandated by a standing committee. Reacting to it, Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said it has become clear to the people of Delhi that Congress has now openly become the B team of AAP. Kapoor said the friendship between Congress and AAP is now well known and it would be better if Congress leaders like Ajay Maken do not speak on liquor scam and Bungalow corruption of Kejriwal.
The standing committee is the highest decision-making body in the MCD and its constitution is still pending.
The Delhi mayor said some of the proposals were passed while three others have been postponed for further discussion. The rejected proposal was on temporary use of vacant or abandoned MCD primary school at the GB Road for educating sex workers and their children, Oberoi said, adding that the proposals to construct a multi-level car parking facility in New Friends Colony, Kalkaji, and Jangpura were among the proposals postponed for discussion.
She said the MCD will do its "homework" to present before a standing committee a proposal to hire an agency each for the clearance of landfill sites at Okhla and Ghazipur.
The MCD’s House was adjourned for the day on Tuesday amid protests by Congress and BJP councillors on the issue of dengue data and the listed agenda. As the House met around 11:20 am, Congress members, some of them holding placards and posters, raised slogans in the House, alleging a lack of transparency in issuing data related to dengue cases reported in the national capital and also on the issue of pollution.
When the Mayor entered the chamber of the House, she faced protests from Congress councillors on the two issues. Some of the Congress councillors also climbed on the benches to protest. BJP councillors later protested on the listed agenda. The mayor adjourned the proceedings amid the protests, a senior official said.