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Ludhiana: Stormy scenes witnessed during year’s first MC house meeting
During the hour-long house meeting, nine out of the 11 agendas were cleared, while proposals of selling 37 defunct city buses and selling MC properties to generate revenue were kept on hold
Stormy scenes were witnessed during this year’s first meeting of the municipal corporation on Friday, with councillors accusing newly elected MLAs and civic body officials for delay in the development work in the city.
During the hour-long meeting, nine out of the 11 agendas were cleared, while proposals of selling 37 defunct city buses and selling MC properties to generate revenue were kept on hold.
The proposals of offering facility to residents for applying no objection certificate’s (NOC) of property at zonal suvidha kendras of MC and introducing ‘Property ID cards’ against properties across the city were approved.
Proposals related to cashless medical policy for MC employees, initiating tow away system in the city to check wrong parking, construction of office of the World Bank project for Ludhiana, urban water and waste management and approval for leaving space under elevated road at Ferozepur road for vehicle parking will be discussed.
The general house also approved a resolution to allow upper age limit relaxation for regularisation of class IV employees. Earlier, the general house had approved the resolution to regularise the jobs of 3,542 sweepers and sewermen working in the MC for years. Of these, around 800 employees have crossed the upper age limit for regularisation, which is 37 years for general category and 42 years for SC category.
The meeting also decided to recover a pending bill of ₹47.34 crore with GLADA, related to sewerage usage charges of 18 colonies developed. Councillor Kuldeep Janda of ward no 14 and Rakesh Parashar of ward no 64 demanded that ₹47 crore should be recovered with interest.
Heated exchange in house
Within 10 minutes into the meeting, Congress councillor Mamta Ashu, wife of former Punjab cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, stormed out of the house, objecting over the supplementary agendas being issued at the last minute.
Mamta questioned MC commissioner Shena Aggarwal for revoking the decision taken by her predecessor and latter’s husband Sanyam Aggarwal over auction of buses.
“It was in 2020 that your husband who was then additional commissioner had categorically stated that it would be illegal to auction these 37 buses. Further, I would like to seek a probe on how the buses turned redundant. I am leaving the house to express my resentment over the agenda of selling MC properties. I am against selling of MC properties for making money,” she said.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) district president and ward no 46 councillor Harbhajan Singh Dang urged the mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu and MC commissioner to pull up contractors for stalling development work in his ward.
Atam Nagar MLA Kulwant Singh Sidhu, who was present during the house meet asked mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu to conduct an independent probe to find out if any MLA was involved in stalling the development work.
“If I would be found at fault, I would pay ₹5 lakh as fine, if your statement Dang Saab would be found wrong, then you have to pay the same. Otherwise tender apology for your comments,” said Sidhu.
War of words was also witnessed between AAP MLA Rakesh Parashar Pappi and ward no 52 councillor Gurdeep Singh Nittu.
He accused the MC superintending engineer for changing the scope of a building in Amarpura area where a centre for senior citizens centre was to come up, but now Aam Aadmi Clinic was established at its place. Pappi replied that the clinic was being made as the residents had wished for a free healthcare facility.
Towing away scheme
While councillors gave a nod in unison to implement the towing away scheme in the city, senior deputy mayor Sham Sunder Malhotra objected to it, claiming that the towing away scheme would prove to be detrimental for the civic body.
Though the civic body will hire a private contractor for the purpose, the police deployed in the civic body will look after the same. The proposed fee for cars is ₹1,500, ₹1,100 for two wheelers and ₹2,500 for commercial heavy vehicles.
Out of ₹100 crore loans sought by MC for development, ₹96 crore has been used and much of it was spent on paying salaries.
