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Chandigarh councillors unite against excessive digging for 5G cables
Rising above party lines, Chandigarh councillors came down heavily on MC officials for “not checking” the unbridled digging of roads during the MC General House meeting on Thursday
The General House meeting of the municipal corporation on Thursday saw all councillors vociferously speaking against excessive digging of roads by private telecom firms to lay 5G cables.
Rising above party lines, the councillors came down heavily on MC officials for “not checking” the unbridled digging of roads.
Questioning the officials, AAP councillor Prem Lata asked under what policy was the digging being allowed: “I recently got cleanliness work done in my ward, but due to multiple pits created for laying cables, all efforts went in vain. I will not allow any more digging in my ward.”
BJP councillor Harpreet Kaur Babla added, “The dug-up pits are not just unsightly, but also posing danger to pedestrians and commuters.”
Even Congress councillors Gurpreet Singh Gabi and Gurbax Rawat alleged that the MC officials were turning a blind eye to firms leaving roads dug up for days.
In response, MC commissioner Anindita Mitra said the telecom firms were provided permission to cut roads and install cables as part of the central government’s 5G rollout plan.
Road wing superintending engineer Inderjit Gulati added that laying of cables through a similar exercise last year had fetched MC around ₹20 crore as income.
Truck driver’s death: MC to conduct a physical audit of all vehicles
Following the death of a 27-year-old garbage truck driver on September 23 after his neck was crushed under the vehicle’s hydraulic container in Sector 23, the MC House approved a physical audit and mechanical check-up of all MC vehicles.
AAP councillor and leader of opposition in the House Yogesh Dhingra alleged that a similar death took place three months back, but the civic body did not pay any heed that could have prevented the loss of another life. “I have been raising the issue that there is a technical and mechanical fault in 585 vehicles, which has not been rectified,” he said.
Demanding compensation and jobs for the families of both deceased, BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi said the bodies in both accidents were found trapped in the same condition.
On this, Mitra said MC will give a job to a family member of both deceased, and physical and mechanical audit of all vehicles will be done.
Agendas approved
Sensory park for people with disabilities in Sector 22. Expected to cost ₹1.14 crore, the park will allow visitors, especially differently abled children, to enjoy variety of sensory experiences, not encountered normally.
Provision for disabled-friendly infrastructure at community centres at a cost of around ₹1.63 crore.
₹50 lakh award under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for the ward remaining cleanest for three consecutive months.
Modern wood-based cremation system for Sector-25 cremation ground. The ₹1.62-crore system will utilise around 100 kg of wood for one cremation, compared to 375 kg normally.
