Saddi Dilli’s NDMC….

The National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT) comprises three local civic bodies, MCD or the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, NDMC or the New Delhi Municipal Corporation and Cantonment Board. The MCD comprises about 96 per cent of the area and population of the Union Territory of Delhi. The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 was amended in August, 1994 to bring it in tune with the Constitutional provisions of Part IXA. In respect of NDMC, which consists of only 3 per cent of the area and 3 per cent of the population of Delhi NCT, it was felt that a different kind of legal system be structured taking into account special characteristics of the New Delhi Municipal Council area.

Following were the main reasons:

1. The New Delhi Municipal Council area comprises of the territory that has been described as Lutyen’s Delhi and which has historically come to be regarded as the seat of central authority in Union of India.
2. It comprises of important buildings like Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, Supreme Court, North and South Blocks and buildings abutting Central Vista and all the diplomatic missions which function as territorial entities under the sovereign jurisdiction of their Flag States.
3. The Government of India is nearly the sole landowner and also owns about eighty percent of the buildings in the New Delhi Municipal Council area. Private ownership of property in this area. Private ownership of property in this area is small.
4. Efficient function of the Municipal services in this area is critical for the internal image of the country and is a reason which has an important bearing on the functioning of the Government apparatus itself.
5. Historically, this area has enjoyed a system of Local Government very different from other parts of the National Capital Territory.

On account of these special characteristics, it was felt that any scheme for the governance of this area based on conventional pattern of representative local self-government would be unworkable and out of place since the pre-eminent character of this area is that of the seat of the Central Government.

NDMC has its origins in the Imperial Delhi Committee which was constituted on 25th March, 1913 to overlook the construction of the new capital of India. Thereafter in February 1916 the Chief Commissioner, Delhi, created the Raisina Municipal Committee, which was upgraded to a 2nd class Municipality under the Punjab Municipal Act on 7th April 1925. Then on 22nd February 1927, the Committee passed a resolution adopting the name “New Delhi” giving it the name, “New Delhi Municipal Committee”, approved by Chief Commissioner on 16th March, 1927. In May 1994, the NDMC Act 1994, replaced the Punjab Municipal Act 1911 and the Committee was renamed as the New Delhi Municipal Council.

NDMC’s new head office was the Palika Kendra which was built in 1971 and it was the tallest building in the city at that time.

The NDMC area is bounded by the junction of Pusa Road and Upper Ridge Road towards east along the New Link Road, the Panchkuian Road up to its junction with the Old Gurgaon Road; then towards northeast along the Old Gurgaon Road and Chelmsford Road up to the New Delhi Railway Station; then towards south and south east along the railway line up to its junction with the Harding’s Bridge; then towards south along the Mathura Road; up to its junction with Lodhi Road; then towards south along the Lodhi Road; up to its junction with the first road leading to Lodhi Colony; then towards south along the first road leading to Lodhi Colony up to its junction with the Ring Railway; hence towards south along the railway line up to its junction with Qutub Road; then towards south along the Qutub Road up to its junction with Kushak Nallaha; then towards east along the Kaushak Nulla up to its junction with the Boundary of the Corporation and along the south boundary of the Medical Enclave up to its junction with the Ring Road near Gwalior Potteries; then towards north-west along the Ring Road up to its junction with Kitchner Road, then towards north along the Upper Ridge up to the starting point. As defined in first schedule of NDMC Act – 1994.