The Delhi government has granted in-principle approval to create two new revenue districts and six new sub-divisions. This significant restructuring aims to streamline the capital’s famously fragmented administrative system.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has approved the plan, which will increase the number of Delhi’s districts from 11 to 13. The number of sub-divisions will also rise from 33 to 39.
Currently, Delhi’s governance is split across multiple entities. Eleven revenue districts, each with a district magistrate, operate separately from the 12 zones of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area, or Lutyens’ Delhi, functions as a separate entity within New Delhi district.
This structure frequently leads to coordination problems and jurisdictional disputes. Parts of the MCD's Najafgarh zone overlap with New Delhi district, despite being geographically distant.
An individual in parts of Najafgarh might assume their revenue district is West or South-West. However, some areas actually fall under New Delhi district's jurisdiction.
The realignment is designed to "improve inter-departmental coordination, eliminate jurisdictional overlaps and enable quicker redressal of citizens' grievances," Chief Minister Gupta stated recently.
According to officials cited by TOI, the plan involves aligning the 12 MCD zones with the new revenue districts. The NDMC and Delhi Cantonment areas will be integrated into a revamped New Delhi district.
The move will reportedly enable more focused administration and faster service delivery. It will also distribute the administrative workload more evenly among officials.
The restructuring will require a substantial redrawing of Delhi’s administrative map. Boundaries of existing districts will be altered, with certain villages and localities being added or excluded.
Documents reveal the extent of the current complexity. For instance, the MCD's Central zone cuts across four different revenue districts. The South zone spans another four.
The names for the new districts and sub-divisions are expected to be based on the areas or MCD zones they cover. A final decision will be made when the formal proposal is submitted.
The revenue department has already begun drafting a detailed proposal. This document will outline the rationale and expected benefits of the restructuring.
The proposal will then be sent to the finance and law departments for their comments. Following this, it will be presented to the cabinet, chaired by CM Gupta, for formal approval.
After securing the cabinet’s nod, the proposal will require the Lieutenant Governor's approval. A gazette notification will then be issued, triggering the implementation phase. This will involve appointing new district magistrates and other officials and establishing new district offices.
This will be the first expansion of Delhi’s districts since September 2012, when South-East Delhi and Shahdara were carved out.
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