Cong protests with sacks of fake notes to oppose sweeping project in Ludhiana

Bhatti, a member of the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC), said the counterfeit notes symbolised his opposition to the ₹82-crore mechanical sweeping project listed on the meeting’s agenda

A symbolic protest involving two sacks of counterfeit notes worth ₹82 crore marked the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation’s General House meeting on Saturday, as Congress councillor Gaurav Bhatti and his party leaders opposed the proposed mechanical sweeping project. The meeting was subsequently adjourned following the demise of Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) councillor Usha Rani Kalyan of Ward 47 due to a prolonged illness. The councillors observed a two-minute silence to pay tribute to the departed soul.

Councillors protesting outside the Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan in Ludhiana on Saturday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Bhatti, a member of the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC), said the counterfeit notes symbolised his opposition to the ₹82-crore mechanical sweeping project listed on the meeting’s agenda. The proposal has faced sustained resistance from Congress councillors, who have questioned its financial implications and viability.

The House will now meet on Monday, October 12, at 3 pm at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan, where several civic issues, pending funds and development works are scheduled to be discussed.

Opposition to the sweeping project has intensified since it was taken up by the F&CC on Monday. Bhatti raised objections to the proposal, but the committee subsequently cleared it by a 4-1 vote on Wednesday. He has since been rallying opposition councillors to resist its passage in the General House.

BJP councillor Sunil Moudgil said the Opposition was united in its resistance to the proposal. “We will not let this proposal pass in the House,” he said.

Dissent has also emerged within the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Gurkaran Singh, husband of AAP councillor Mehak Tina of Ward 53, claimed that a team of experts from Thapar University had found the project unviable.

“The experts have said that this won’t succeed. Then I don’t understand the need to take it forward. My conscience doesn’t allow this,” he said.

The proposal’s fate will depend partly on the voting strength in the House. Congress, which won 30 seats in the municipal elections, now has 24 councillors, while the BJP has 19 and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has two. Seven city MLAs will also vote, potentially giving the ruling AAP an advantage if it manages to contain dissent within its ranks.