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Ludhiana: F&CC scraps ₹64-lakh plan to renovate mayor’s office
The proposal, estimated at ₹98.88 lakh, was placed before the committee for approval but was rejected after discussion
The Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC) of the Ludhiana municipal corporation on Tuesday cancelled the ₹64-lakh proposal to renovate the mayor’s office. The decision comes just a day after a separate meeting held to review the construction of a government residence for the mayor at the existing mayor’s camp office in Rakh Bagh, Ward No. 71, which was also turned down. The proposal, estimated at ₹98.88 lakh, was placed before the committee for approval but was rejected after discussion.
Sources said the proposal had been prepared by the engineering wing and cleared through technical scrutiny, but members questioned the need for constructing a new residence when the camp office already exists. The case had earlier been approved for presentation before the committee on August 11 after administrative vetting in July and August.
Out of the total 173 proposals placed before the committee during Tuesday’s meeting, 165 were approved, seven were kept on hold, and one — the mayor’s house proposal — was cancelled.
Officials said the F&CC also cancelled six other development works, including road construction projects in BRS Nagar and Mahavir Enclave. These tenders were rejected after it was found that contractors had created pools and quoted rates only one per cent below the estimate, raising doubts about competition and transparency.
“The committee took a strict view of such tendering practices and decided not to allow works where fair competition was compromised,” an official said.
Among the major approvals granted on Tuesday was the proposal to float fresh tenders for city parking lots. The civic body is set to reintroduce a regulated parking management system across Ludhiana after a delay of several months.
The F&CC meeting was chaired by the mayor and attended by the senior deputy mayor, deputy mayor, and municipal commissioner. Officials from various engineering and finance wings were also present.
Sources said another round of the F&CC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday to clear pending proposals that could not be discussed due to time constraints.
