Chandigarh Municipal corporation: Congress and BJP trade barbs, House meeting adjourned

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Mayor Arun Sood blamed the Congress councilors for deliberately disrupting the proceedings by using foul and objectionable language against him and other BJP and nominated councillors.

On the other hand, Congress members accused the mayor of adjourning the meeting to avoid a debate on important issues.

The meeting began with Congress councilor Harphool Chander Kalyan demanding a debate on the issue of water crisis in the city before approving the minutes of last meeting. Other Congress members like Subhash Chawla, Pardeep Chhabra and Gurbax Rawat supported him.

The mayor agreed for the debate, but after the approval of the minutes of the meeting. The Congress members insisted on a debate to which the mayor reacted strongly by saying, “You cannot dictate the terms.”

During a discussion on shifting the car bazaar from Sector 7 to Hallmoajra, former mayor Subhash Chawla got into an argument with the mayor.

Congress councillor Pardeep Chhabra mocked the mayor by calling him names. In reply, the mayor made objectionable remarks against the Congress members before adjourning the meeting for a tea break.

After the proceedings resumed after the break, the Congress members called for a debate on the water crisis issue. When the mayor agreed for the same, the Congress councilors took up the issue of the proposed closure of two parking lots in Sector 17 to make way for the multi-level parking.

Sood later adjourned the meeting. Talking to the media, Sood said the Congress councilors have started misbehaving and disrupting the House ever since they lost the mayoral elections. “They (Congress) have not been cooperating and because of their disruptive attitude, the development works could not be discussed,” said Sood.

The issue regarding imposition of property tax in five villages — Maloya, Kajheri, Dadu Majra, Hallomajra and Palsora — was also to be discussed.

The administration had given 15 days to the civic body to take a decision on the issue, failing it will impose the tax itself.

Blaming the Congress, Sood said they did not allow the House to function and take a decision.

Pardeep Chhabra passed on the blame on mayor. “We wanted a debate on the issue and it was the mayor who ran away,” he said.