Crippled by over a week-long agitation by its employees over non-payment of salaries and perks, the coordinating body of the three municipal corporations has been headless for the past two months as the AAP Government has not taken any decision in this regard in the national Capital so far.
Ever since Principal Secretary (Urban Development) Chetan Bhushan Sanghi, who is also director of local bodies, has proceeded on leave, the city administration has not taken any call as to who would coordinate with the municipal corporations in his absence.
Before Sanghi, the local Bodies post had already seen three senior IAS officers RK Srivastav, SS Yadav and Rajendra Kumar as its director.
In four years, the Capital has seen four directors of local bodies. The frequent transfers of the director have reportedly hampered the progress of the trifurcated civic bodies. Apart from the unstable nature of the posting, there is some confusion regarding its role. “The truth is that the commissioners don’t listen to the director,” said officials of the Urban Development Department.
The primary job of the director is to coordinate the functions of the corporations in respect of the common facilities and services that are under the control and management of the civic bodies where they are located. The job of the director is also to decide the utilisation of various assets and discharge of liabilities by the corporations.
The head of the local bodies is also responsible for framing rules for various posts, to resolve the functional and administrative anomalies or difficulties arising, if any, after consultation with the commissioners thereof to coordinate the collection and sharing of toll tax from toll centres/gates that are under the control of respective corporations in which they are located.
Sanghi was perhaps the fourth director of the local bodies when the MCD was trifurcated in 2012, the post was created to oversee the new civic bodies’ functioning.
Before deciding to create the post, then Sheila Dikshit Government had proposed a Delhi Municipal Authority to oversee the three civic bodies, but the Home Ministry had rejected it.