Lok Sabha passed the New Delhi Municipal Council (Amendment) Bill 2010

Lok sabha on 7 December 2011 passed the New Delhi Municipal Council (Amendment) Bill 2010. The bill allows local representatives more say in the civic body.

The Main Features of the Bill
• The bill seeks to change the structure of the NDMC by making the MP of the area its member with voting right. Prior to this, the MP was just a special invitee to the council.
• The bill increases the number of members from 11 to 12. The bill also increases the number of representatives belonging to the schedule castes from 1 to 2.
• As per the amendments, NDMC will have three women members and two nominated members.  
• The Bill also proposes to reduce the number of MLAs as members of the council, from 3 to 2 because after the delimitation exercise there are only two Assembly constituencies whose area partly or fully fall in the New Delhi area. 

The bill further adds that a Chief Minister if representing the NDMC area, will preside over the meetings.  If he is not available, then an MP of the area, if he or she is a minister, will chair the meetings. If the MP representing the area is not a minister, then the MLA, if he holds a ministerial position, will preside. Failing all the three, the area MP will chair the meetings and if none of them is available, then the chairman of the council will preside. At present, NDMC meetings are presided over by the chairman of the council.