HT Report Card: Nothing ventured, nothing gained - Hindustan Times
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HT Report Card: Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Hindistan Times | By, Chandigarh
Oct 21, 2016 02:02 PM IST

Two-time councillor and 2015 senior deputy mayor Rajesh Kumar Gupta of the BJP will be most remembered for his failure to provide basic amenities in his ward comprising Sectors 20 and 33.

Two-time councillor and 2015 senior deputy mayor Rajesh Kumar Gupta of the BJP will be most remembered for his failure to provide basic amenities in his ward comprising Sectors 20 and 33.

A view of a well-maintained green belt in Sector 20.(HT Photo)
A view of a well-maintained green belt in Sector 20.(HT Photo)

Though Gupta claims that development work has been carried out in his ward residents say any development has been only on paper. Internal roads are in bad shape, sanitation is poor and wild growth marks both the sectors.

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Gupta, a low-profile leader, remained mum in most House meetings and spoke only on the issue of the Sunday Car Bazaar in Sector 7, demanding that it not be shifted. This created a mild political storm with the Congress objecting to it, saying that he and his family had been running a business in the bazaar for the past three decades. The Congress cited the MC Act in its support and claimed that he raised the issue in the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) meeting as member. This could have led to his disqualification, the Congress claimed.

Gupta first contested the MC by-election from the same ward as an Independent in 2004, but lost by 100 votes. He later contested on a BJP ticket in 2006 and 2011 and won both times.

The dilapidated condition of a park in Sector 33. (HT Photo)
The dilapidated condition of a park in Sector 33. (HT Photo)

The residents complain that their main demand — of a community centre in Sector 20 — was ignored for the better part of his two terms that stretched up to a decade. Now, at the fag end of his term, the community centre has been approved, but residents simply do not expect it to be completed within time.

There is not even a Sehaj Safai Kendra (SSK) in Sector-20 and this forces people to throw garbage on the roads.

“A site was identified for the construction of an SSK near the Labour Chowk in Sector 20. However, residents living near the site objected and got the project stalled,” the councillor, who is associated with various religious and social organisations, says in defence.

Tomorrow: Ward 17 Mukesh Bassi

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Hillary Victor is a Principal Correspondent at Chandigarh. He covers Chandigarh administration, municipal corporation and all political parties.

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