NEW DELHI, June 30: The leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Jag Parvesh Chandra has questioned the Central Government’s decision to keep the New Delhi Municipal committee (NDMC) area outside the purview of the new Delhi state which is to be set up.
While welcoming the decision to grant full statehood to Delhi, Chandra said that by keeping the seven lakhs residence of the NDMC area outside the state an anomalous situation would arise.
He pointed out numerous incongruities which would crop up as a result. As the New Delhi area will not be a part of the Delhi State, it means that the residents of New Delhi will not be contesting elections to the Delhi Assembly.
It would mean that NDMC residents could vote in a parliamentary election but not in an assembly elections. They could vote for the part but not for the whole.
Chandra wondered which security force would be used to police New Delhi, “The question would arise: Will there not be two kinds of police force? One under the Union Government and the other under the Delhi Government.”
If New Delhi area is kept apart, it would mean technically that a new Parliamentary seat would have to be carved out and that will be possible only if all the seven seats are re-demarcated and fresh de-limitation is done. “ Will not a new Delimitation Act for the State of Delhi have to be passed?” Chandra queried.
He pointed out that at present Delhi has three seats in the Rajya Sabha, if New Delhi is to be excluded from Delhi state, then this area shall have to be given a new seat for the Rajya Sabha. This would mean that Delhi would have four Rajya Sabha seats. While this was theoretically possible he wondered whether this would require a new Act?
Chandra noted that if New Delhi, an area of 42.74 sq. kms., is considered too sensitive for different reasons to be kept away from the jurisdiction of the State Government, at the same time how could Delhi Cantonment, an area of 42.97 sq.kms., which contains vital military installations be handed over to the care of the Delhi government. This might endanger the security of India, Chandra said.