Ludhiana: Oppn to corner MC over sweeping project, 1,200 ‘ghost workers’ at General House meet

Congress councillors have questioned the cleaning project’s cost and viability, while the alleged absence of sanitation workers listed on the civic body’s rolls is another issue likely to come under scrutiny.

The Opposition is set to target the Aam Aadmi Party-led Ludhiana municipal corporation over the proposed ₹82-crore sweeping project and allegations of 1,200 ghost sanitation workers at Monday’s General House meeting.

The municipal corporation Zone D office located in Ludhiana on Sunday. (HT)

Congress councillors have questioned the cleaning project’s cost and viability, while the alleged absence of sanitation workers listed on the civic body’s rolls is another issue likely to come under scrutiny.

The ₹82-crore project, which proposes mechanical sweeping and deep cleaning, is awaiting clearance from the General House. Congress councillors have raised objections to the proposal, questioning the financial outlay and the viability of the proposed services. The project is expected to be a key point of contention when councillors meet at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan at 3 pm on Monday. The proposal had also prompted a protest at the previous House meeting on Saturday, when Congress councilors brought two sacks filled with counterfeit currency notes to symbolise the ₹82-crore amount and register their opposition to the project.

The councillors have questioned whether around 1,200 workers listed on the civic body rolls are actually reporting for duty and carrying out sanitation work across city wards.

In response to the concerns, the MC commissioner recently directed officials to display lists of sanitation workers deployed in their respective wards at prominent locations and share the details with councillors. The move was intended to help elected representatives verify the deployment of workers in their wards.

However, the Opposition has maintained that displaying lists alone would not resolve the issue, insisting that workers must be physically present and perform their assigned duties.

“We don’t want lists. We want workers,” said BJP councillor Sunil Moudgil, adding that he would raise the issue at Monday’s meeting.

The House meeting on Saturday was adjourned before proceedings could begin following the death of a councillor.