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₹790 crore road development project: HC imposes ₹25 thousand fine on deputy mayor; dismisses PIL
The high court bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry held that it has no hesitation to hold that the cause raised in the PIL is “a personal cause camouflaged as a public cause”
The Punjab and Haryana high court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Mohali deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi, challenging GMADA’s ₹790 crore “Mohali’s Next Generation Programme”, with a ₹25 thousand cost.
The high court bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry held that it has no hesitation to hold that the cause raised in the PIL is “a personal cause camouflaged as a public cause”. Hence, it is not maintainable and dismissed the PIL.
During the hearing, Bedi’s counsel could not explain the PIL, quoting some documents, which were not part of the pleadings. Also, it found that PIL claims several representations were made to authorities but none were part of the petition.
Bedi had challenged the tender process by GMADA for Mohali’s ₹790 crore road development project announced in January about upgradation, resurfacing and beautification of roads and junctions in the city.
He had argued that MC’s nod had not been taken for undertaking these projects. Further, roads which are either recently constructed, or where the construction work or the work of beautification is being done through existing contractors, is also included in the tender plan. As many as 27 roads have been clubbed into a single tender and that at least 15 of these roads had been constructed or re-carpeted in the last two to five years, he had submitted adding that there are some roads where upgrade work is still on, but are part of the tender. Hence, the entire exercise is going to be a substantial loss to the state exchequer, he had argued.
