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Furore over poor sanitation at Mohali MC House meeting
Opposition councillors complained about the city’s poor sanitation due to civic body’s failure to streamline solid waste management at the Mohali MC House meeting
Pandemonium marked the monthly House meeting of the Mohali municipal corporation on Monday, with opposition councillors vehemently voicing concerns over the deteriorating sanitation in the city.
The opposition councillors complained about heaps of garbage lying everywhere due to civic body’s failure to streamline solid waste management.
In the Mohali MC House of 50, the Congress has 37 seats, the Azad group, led by MLA Kulwant Singh, 10, while the remaining three are independents.
Independent councillor Manjit Singh Sethi said MC’s sanitation department was not working efficiently to remove garbage from the roadsides and parks. “Garbage dumps are visible across the city due to the sanitation department’s failure to clean the city. MC must focus on the city’s sanitation issues to provide a clean and hygienic atmosphere for residents.”
Councillors also complained that sanitation workers had been deployed on main roads, adversely affecting the sanitation of internal roads.
On this, MC commissioner Kamal Kumar Garg said due to heavy shedding of trees on main roads, sanitation workers had been shifted there, as maintaining the main roads was important.
Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu said MC will be hiring sweepers on outsourcing basis for internal roads, adding that the resolution for mechanised sweeping had also been passed.
Apart from this, MC also passed the resolution regarding the takeover of 14 roads previously maintained by GMADA in Sectors 48, 65, 68 and 71. The mayor said these sectors had already been handed over to MC, but due to the non-completion of road works, these roads were still with GMADA. “Now the repair works are complete, so MC will take over the roads,” he added.
MC also decided to challan owners of under-construction residential and commercial buildings where mosquito breeding is found.
Apart from this, a resolution was also passed to increase the estimated cost of various works due to an increase in the rate of bitumen.
Councillor alleges corruption in MC
Councillor Manjit Singh Sethi levelled allegations that junior and senior MC officials take 13.25% commission from the sanitation contractors. On this, the mayor asked Sethi to provide his complaint in writing for further probe in the matter.
Councillor labels media as corrupt, apologises
During the meeting, Congress councillor Pramod Mitra lashed out at the media for not taking up genuine issues and termed them corrupt. On facing retaliation from the scribes present, he later issued an apology in the presence of the mayor, senior deputy mayor, deputy mayor and various Congress councillors.
