Development main agenda of new mayor
Amid a maze of narrow lanes, the two-storeyed house of newly elected municipal corporation mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar was abuzz with activity on Saturday as a stream of supporters made a beeline to congratulate him for his election as fifth mayor of the city.
Amid a maze of narrow lanes, the two-storeyed house of newly elected municipal corporation mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar was abuzz with activity on Saturday as a stream of supporters made a beeline to congratulate him for his election as fifth mayor of the city.
As a Hindustan Times team manoeuvered a car through the lanes to reach the much sought after destination, another conspicuous thing it came across was the SUV parked in front of his house affixed with a plate 'Mayor'.
Traders near his house peep out of their shops every now and then to check out who all had come visiting Gohalwaria's house in swanky cars. "We have never seen so many cars in the area before.
They are all coming to meet the new mayor," said an area shopkeeper Deepak. Once in the drawing room of the mayor's residence, Gohalwaria was found surrounded by a large number of guests. The new mayor was courtesy personified in dealing with his guests.
Asked about his plans, Gohalwaria said that he wanted the city residents to come up with their problems and assured that these would be solved on "priority basis" by him. Gohalwaria is likely to join office on Monday. "I do not want to set priorities for myself. I want that residents should come up and tell me what is required in their respective areas. This will help me a lot as I will come to know the basic problems and their solution from people themselves," Gohalwaria said in an exclusive interview with HT.
The mayor admitted that the problem of drainage was a serious one and would be looked into. "I will ask the officials to tackle drainage problem in the city that is causing inconvenience to local residents," he said.
Another important issue that required attention was delayed projects in the city. "I am aware that there are many delayed projects that need to be completed immediately. Delay in any project increases its cost and it has to be avoided. I will ensure early completion of all projects that have been delayed," Gohalwaria said.
"Damaged streets or potholed roads do not point to lack of development but lack of maintenance. On one hand, I will ensure that maintenance takes place in every corner of the city, development will be the main agenda for me," he said.