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Chandigarh: Financial crisis sparks intense debate at MC House meet
BJP councillors push for special all-party discussion to find solutions while AAP-Congress bring free water agenda again
In the midst of a severe financial crisis plaguing the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC), forcing it to put a halt on tenders for development projects since May, BJP councillors have called for a special all-party meeting to strategise solutions for the fiscal turmoil.
In a heated session during the MC House meeting on Thursday, the BJP councillors raised concerns over stalled developmental works in the city.
At the same time, the ruling AAP-Congress combine once again tabled its proposal to provide 20,000 litres of free water monthly to each household, igniting a debate over freebies in tough economic times.
Lashing out at the AAP-Congress alliance, BJP councillor Maheshinder Singh Sidhu said, “As per details provided by MC officials, we have already received ₹387 crore out of the total ₹560 crore as grant-in-aid from the central government. So far this fiscal, MC has generated ₹167 as revenue, with another ₹120 crore expected in the next six months. Looking at the committed liabilities of ₹70 crore every month, MC is about to face a deficit of ₹125 crore. Not only this, MC has zero money for projects or capital expenditure.”
“Yet the AAP-Congress have the audacity to again bring the free water agenda without clarifying about the funding, which implies that it is a mere political stunt by the ruling dispensation before the Haryana assembly elections,” Sidhu added.
Meanwhile, former mayor Anup Gupta said, “The AAP mayor should call a special all-party meeting to discuss and find responsible solutions to manage this crisis.”
“Even AAP and Congress councillors admit that their projects were being executed when the BJP was in power, but no new initiatives have started under their own parties’ rule,” he claimed.
During the intense debate, BJP councillors even dramatically presented mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor with a lock and key, declaring, “Lock MC if you can’t run it smoothly.”
“We have not received administrative approval of approved projects for six months. No development related work is being carried out,” said leader of Opposition Kanwarjeet Singh Rana.
However, amid the opposition’s demand for a meeting, AAP councillor Prem Lata said, “The BJP is just politicising the issue and MC’s financial conditions were equally bad even in BJP’s tenure.”
MC should look for ways to generate more revenue: Commissioner
Acting municipal commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said, “Amid the financial crisis, a detailed discussion is required on how MC can generate more revenue. We need to recover our pending dues from each sector and policies should be discussed to improve the situation. We will present the financial status in the next House meeting and I will request the mayor to hold a discussion on it.”
No decision on free water
Though AAP tabled the free water agenda again, the House said they had already approved the proposal but it was still pending for approval from the UT administration. On this, mayor Dhalor said, “We request the commissioner to present the status of the proposal in the next House meeting.”
The giveaways for free water and free parking were originally part of AAP’s 2021 manifesto, but were delayed by the party’s struggle to secure the mayor’s chair for two years.
Soon after Dhalor took charge as the mayor—after a controversial election marred by poll rigging allegations against the BJP—in February this year, the agendas for free water and parking were brought to the House. Both were passed with the support of Congress councillors on March 7, days before the Lok Sabha elections were notified.
But on June 14, the UT administration rejected MC House’s free water resolution, citing that it was not financially viable.
However on July 9, the House had resolved to push forward with its previously approved agendas of 20,000 litres of free water after MP Manish Tewari, backed by councillors, termed then UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit’s rejection “illegal”. However, no reply came from the administration after that.
As per MC officials, 20,000 litres of free water to each household every month will result in loss of ₹20 crore annually.
