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Chandigarh mayor takes on garbage dumps and illegal vendors at CRAWFED meet
In his first interaction with Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) members, mayor Anup Gupta doubled down on the municipal corporation’s (MC) willingness to take hard decisions to rid the city of garbage dumps
In his first interaction with Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) members, mayor Anup Gupta doubled down on the municipal corporation’s (MC) willingness to take hard decisions to rid the city of garbage dumps.
“Garbage collection will be our main focus. In a couple of months, we plan to launch a new app to facilitate residents in which they will be able to see what time the garbage collection vehicle will show up to their residence. If there is any delay then the reason for the delay will also be explained,” he said, adding that the aim was to make the city garbage-free by the year-end.
The mayor also discussed plans to tackle the problem of illegal vendors in the city, saying, “Many vendors encroach beyond the space allotted to them. Many of them also have one vending licence in the family and use it to set up stalls in different markets.”
“The MC will take hard decisions on this matter and we want the residents to support us. Results will be visible within the next two to three months,” he added.
Addressing complaints about the delay in releasing funds for the maintenance of the parks, the mayor said it takes time to audit the payments before offering assurances that the process would be streamlined. He, meanwhile, also commented that the best parks of the city are the ones being maintained by resident welfare associations (RWA).
Ringing in cheer for senior citizens, Gupta announced that the civic body was working on a project under which they would be able to organise their birthday parties and engagements at the community centres free of charge.
While speaking about the working of the gaushala in Sector 25, the mayor said it was being run by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and if its working doesn’t improve, it will be allotted to another body. He also asked CRAWFED to consider adopting the gaushala.
Dubbing the city bylaws archaic, the mayor also highlighted the need for new ones.
Local councillor Sourav Joshi, who was also present at the event, said the residents and councillors join hands in working towards the development of the city instead of relying on bureaucrats.
CRAWFED chairperson Hitesh Puri, meanwhile, said the administration and the MC will have to make it mandatory for the participation of the city’s RWAs in governance. Other issues related to the Chandigarh Housing Board and the administration were also discussed.
