New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has undertaken a "study" to assess the best civic administration-related practices across India, seeking revision of some of the provisions of the old DMC Act, 1957 to bring it "in tune with the modern times", officials said on Thursday.

The MCD had come into being in April 1958 under the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957.

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The civic body was trifurcated into -- North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations or NDMC, SDMC and EDMC in 2011, and was amalgamated into a unified body in May 2022, assuming again the identity of MCD.

"We have undertaken a study which began recently, to assess the best municipal practices across India, at corporations in various cites. The idea is to study the best of the municipal laws, and adopt the best practices to give the best deliverables to the people in the national capital," a senior official said.

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The civic body's move seeks revision of some of the provisions of the DMC Act, 1957 to bring it "in tune with the modern times," officials said, adding a private legal policy firm has been roped in to assist in the study.

"Laws are dynamic, and it is good to be responsive to present needs of society. And, if there are certain aspects of the law, which are archaic, say related to hackney carriage, then do we need to still carry them. But, we are not the authority, any amendment can be brought in by Parliament or the Delhi Assembly. We are just studying the best practices," the official said.

He claimed it was an "academic study" and has "no connection with the upcoming civic polls", adding, the study span "will go beyond the election time".

MCD polls are expected to take place at the fag end of 2022 or early next year.

The central government has fixed the total number of seats in the MCD at 250 from the existing figure of 272 as part of a delimitation exercise.

The previous three corporations in Delhi comprised 104 wards each in North and South corporations and the East corporation had 64 wards under their jurisdictions.

"A lot has changed since 1950s when the DMC Act was enacted," he said.

The erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had come into being in April 1958 and it was set up after amalgamating several local bodies and administrative committees, according to archival records.

According to old documents and reports accessed by PTI earlier, and views of many experts, the MCD was modelled on the lines of the 'Bombay Municipal Corporation', when it was being envisaged by policy-makers, around a decade after India's independence.

According to the wording of the DMC Act 1957, to consolidate and amend the laws relating to the Municipal Government of Delhi, the Delhi Municipal Corporation Bill was introduced in the Parliament.

Delhi Municipal Corporation Bill having been passed by both the Houses of Parliament was assented by the President on December 28, 1957.

The MCD thus came into being on April 7, 1958 when the Delhi got its first mayor, evolving out of the municipal administration system that began around 1860s.

The headquarters of the newly-formed civic body was at the historic Town Hall in Chandni Chowk area, in which the earlier Delhi municipality was also housed, and where the MCD remained till late 2000s, before moving base to the swanky Civic Centre in front of the New Delhi railway station.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)