Chandigarh: ₹227-crore agenda passed without discussion, withdrawn after outcry

According to the agenda, the work involves designing, manufacturing, supplying, laying and commissioning of MS (mild steel) pipeline and epoxy lining of the existing pipeline

A table agenda costing ₹227 crore – one third of the total grant-in-aid received by the municipal corporation (MC) this financial year – was hurriedly passed during the House meeting on July 31 raising a storm, not only among the Opposition but also Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillors who complained to the commissioner in this regard.

The water works agenda was not only the costliest but also suspicious since the expenditure was not written along with the subject as is the norm with all other agendas. (HT File)

After much hue and cry, mayor Saurabh Joshi took a U-turn on Wednesday and requested the MC commissioner to withdraw the agenda – pertaining to replacement of the old water pipeline from Kajauli water works to Sector-39 water works – and bring it afresh in the next House meeting for discussion.

At the July 31 meeting, more than 15 table-agenda items were passed in one go, without being properly discussed or read out. The mayor had said these agendas were passed ‘in anticipation’. The contentious agenda – Table Agenda Number 13, was one of these.

According to the agenda, the work involves designing, manufacturing, supplying, laying and commissioning of MS (mild steel) pipeline and epoxy lining on the inside and outside of the existing pipeline of Phase 3 – Kajauli water works to Sector 39 water works. It was stated that the current pipeline has become highly vulnerable to frequent leakages due to ageing, deterioration of rubber ring joints, pressure fluctuations and water hammer effects. It was stated that the number of leakages have increased over the years resulting in interruption and losses.

On Tuesday, a group of seven councillors, including the senior deputy mayor, councillors and former mayor Sarabjit Kaur, went to meet the MC commissioner and objected to proposals, involving crores of rupees, being passed through the table agenda without the expenditure amounts being clearly disclosed.

The water works agenda was not only the costliest but also suspicious since the expenditure was not written along with the subject as is the norm with all other agendas.

The councillors questioned the manner in which such a major financial proposal was brought and then passed in the meeting.

BJP councillor Kanwarjeet Rana said the table agendas were given after 5 pm and passed at a time when most of the councilors had left. “I, and several other BJP councillors, were not even present in the House when these agendas were passed. An agenda involving such a huge amount ought to have been discussed and not have been brought in as a table agenda,” he said.

After the Opposition too raised questions on the agenda, the mayor wrote to the commissioner seeking the recasting of the agenda concerning the proposed replacement of the existing water pipes.

Senior deputy mayor Jasmanpreet Singh said a discussion should have been held and that’s what the councillors have demanded.

“A number of Congress councillors too were sitting in the House when the ₹227 crore table agenda was passed. They are now accusing the BJP while they too were party to the same,” he said.

The mayor said that considering the magnitude of the project, the estimated cost should also be clearly reflected in the subject/title of the agenda so that every member of the House is immediately apprised of the financial implications of the proposal before deliberations begin.

Congress dubs it a ‘table agenda’ scam

Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee president HS Lucky termed it a “ ₹227-crore table agenda scam”. He said this was not merely an administrative lapse but a direct assault on democracy, transparency, and the trust of the people.

He questioned that if the BJP’s intentions were transparent, why was the proposal not circulated to councillors 72 hours in advance, as required under the rules? “What extraordinary emergency justified seeking approval for crores of taxpayers’ money at the last moment through only a two-page agenda?”

Member of Parliament Manish Tewari, who is an ex-officio member of the House, too posted on X that the agenda item should be re-tabled and discussed threadbare.

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A delegation of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), submitted a detailed memorandum demanding a fair, transparent, and comprehensive inquiry into the matter, along with strict action, in accordance with the law, against the officials and all those found responsible.