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Chandigarh: Ex-mayors’ forum formed, city’s issues in focus
Arun Gupta opposed several policies of the UT administration, including electric vehicle policy and conversion of properties from leasehold to freehold
To highlight the city’s issues and take up the matter with the UT administration, the city mayor Anup Gupta on Sunday formed an ex-mayors’ forum along with 20 former mayors of all political parties.
Arun Gupta opposed several policies of the UT administration, including electric vehicle policy and conversion of properties from leasehold to freehold.
The forum held its first meeting in the city on Sunday, and while addressing the media, Gupta said that he will get the forum registered soon.
“We have planned to conduct regular meetings so that former mayors can bring up the issues being faced by the residents and the civic body or the administration can resolve them,” Gupta said.
Gupta said it was unanimously agreed to form the Ex- Mayor Forum and the process of its formal formation will be done soon. The forum will meet four times in a year and brainstorm on the burning issues of the city. All the former mayors stressed on increasing the power of the elected body in Chandigarh.
“The forum has been formed so that the elected body in the municipal corporation of the city is strengthened and they are allowed to play important responsibilities in the problems and development of the city,” added Gupta.
No grant from MC
It is worth mentioning that the municipal corporation has refused to pay up for the forum’s meetings. A request was made by the mayor but the civic body officials refused the grant, citing that it is not MC’s affairs and public money should not be spent on it.
Also, the political parties and city councillors often take up the matter in the general house of the civic body and say that the UT administration neglects the views of mayor and councillors and do not involve them in framing the citizen-friendly policies in Chandigarh.
