Finding her name missing on the new water tankers funded under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher was visibly miffed just before the flag-off ceremony at the municipal corporation (MC) office in Sector 17 on Friday.
Mayor Rajesh Kalia, Bharatiya Janata Party councillors and senior municipal officials were present at the venue when Kher arrived there to flag off six tankers that the MC has procured with ₹1.1 crore grant from Kher.
Kher immediately approached Kalia with her complaint after seeing that the tankers didn’t have her name and just mentioned that these were funded under the MPLADS. Telling the mayor that her name should also be there on the tankers, Kher reportedly also gave instructions that big fonts should be used to make it prominently visible, said an official privy to the development.
Kalia immediately asked MC commissioner KK Yadav to rectify it. Yadav then called the superintending engineer, public health, Shailender Singh, and asked him to make sure the MP’s name gets written on the tankers by Saturday.
‘How else will people know’
{{/usCountry}}‘How else will people know’
{{/usCountry}}Claiming that even the water tankers funded by her predecessor Pawan Kumar Bansal had his name on them, Kher said: “All MPLADS works have MP’s name.”
Kher said people had been questioning her as to why she had not funded any water tanker when those sponsored by Bansal and carrying his name could be seen on the city roads.
“That’s why I insisted on having my name written on the tankers. How else will people come to know that these were funded through my quota and not Bansal’s?” she said.
Kalia said the names of public figures are always mentioned on plaques as well.
Yadav that there is a provision in the central rules to permanently put the name of the MP on the work sponsored under the scheme.
“The MP’s name will be put on the tankers soon,” he said.
Under the MPLADS, each parliamentarian has the choice to fund projects to the tune of ₹5 crore per annum. While Lok Sabha members can suggest works in their constituency, Rajya Sabha members can recommend works in one or more districts in the state from where they are elected. The nominated members of both the Houses may select any one or more districts from any one state in the country for implementation of their choice of work under the scheme.
About the new tankers
MC tankers often remain in demand in Chandigarh amid acute water shortage in peripheral areas. Tankers often remain in short supply during peak season.
The new tankers have inbuilt motors, which will allow water to reach even top floors of houses and fill the tanks.
With a capacity of 5,000 litres, the tankers can service several people at one time. Also, the tankers are made of stainless steel and there is no metallic contact between the inner and outer tank to maintain the quality of potable water.
“The new tankers are bigger in size and will be more useful to the public,” said Kalia.