The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Friday, 20 May, that Gyanesh Bharti was appointed as the commissioner of the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
Bharti is a 1998-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.
The ministry further said that 1992-batch IAS officer Ashwani Kumar will take up the charge of Special officer in the MCD, as per ANI.
The government had on 19 April notified the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act 2022, merging Delhi's East, South, and North Delhi Municipal Corporations into one – to be called the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
A Home Ministry notification had also stated that the three civic bodies in Delhi would merge into one on 22 May, as per IANS.
The former MCD was trifurcated in 2012, creating North, South, and East Delhi Municipal Corporations.
The Bill to merge the three civic bodies was passed by by the Lok Sabha on March 30 and by the Rajya Sabha on April 5. President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent 18 April.
While arguing for the merging of corporations, Home Minister Amit Shah had said, "When the civic body was trifurcated, the objective must have been good: To give better services to residents. But this has not been the result."
(With inputs from ANI and IANS.)
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