Chandigarh: BJP councillors object to hiring ‘highly paid’ experts for project management unit

Chandigarh MC plans to hire eight employees, for two years at a cost of ₹6 crore; this includes a team of experts in various areas

Though the general House of the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) has already approved a plan to set up a dedicated project management unit (PMU) to provide expertise on Centre’s initiatives, like Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and NCAP (National Clean Air Programme), the BJP councillors are not convinced with the proposal.

As per Chandigarh MC officials, the unit is required to provide direct assistance to the corporation in ensuring effective implementation and coordination of programmes. (HT file photo for representation)

The civic body plans to hire eight employees, for two years at a cost of ₹6 crore, which include a team leader, a solid waste management expert, an air-quality expert, a drinking water supply and waste water expert, a capacity building expert among others.

As per MC officials, the unit is required to provide direct assistance to the corporation in ensuring effective implementation and coordination of programmes. The unit’s scope of work will broadly include planning, design and monitoring of projects. The PMU will work closely with the civic body in the annual Swachh Survekshan, Garbage Free City Certification, National Water Awards and other surveys conducted by concerned ministries.

However, the agenda was approved in the House in front of only INDIA bloc councillors as BJP councillors had walked-out of the meeting while protesting suspension of their fellow councillor Saurabh Joshi.

While opposing the plan, Joshi said, “MC already has expert engineers in every field and provides them all kinds of training. Then why do we need special consultants, that too at a very high cost? At one point, we are giving labour rates to outsourced employees instead of DC rates due to fund crunch, while on the other hand, we will spend crores on these experts. Though we support expert people in MC, we must reconsider the cost.”

Another BJP councillor Mahesh Inder Singh Sidhu said, “Although experts involvement is desirable generally, however their necessity, their requisite qualifications and selection procedure has to be transparent. Spending a whopping ₹6 crore without any details of the proposed projects smacks of gross misuse of public money. The BJP is totally opposed to such criminal splurging by the ruling AAP and congress dispensation.”