Chandigarh Paver blocks: Congress councillor alleges bias

Ward councillor Subash Chawla suggested that intentionally his agenda was not being passed by the BJP-led municipal corporation.

When it was told that the installation of paver blocks needs to be in consonance with the paver policy, Chawla took up the issue as to why the agenda of installation of paver blocks worth Rs 78 lakh in Sector 35 was passed during the meeting.

“Why is this bias with us? If my agenda is deferred subject to paver policy, then you should have also rejected the agenda of Sector 35, which was passed last month,” said Chawla.

The mayor said the engineering wing will look for the feasibility as a huge amount of Rs 2.35 crore was involved.

To this, Chawla said: “I have been waiting for a year for the paver policy. I did not get any agenda regarding pavers as I wanted everything according to the policy. But still many councillors kept getting the agenda of pavers passed without the policy.”

The mayor said in the coordination committee meeting with the administration, they had suggested that installation of paver blocks be discouraged.

“Discouraging pavers in my ward and encouraging pavers in others’,” said Chawla.

Following the ruckus, the house then deferred the agenda and two other agendas regarding installation of paver blocks in the Industrial Area.

However, the agenda of grass pavers in Dadumajra Colony and Sector 38 was passed.

Food street

Senior deputy mayor Davesh Moudil raised the issue of the food street in his Sector 48 lying deserted and alleges that the civic body was not paying any attention to it. It was suggested to invite an expression of interest from big companies within 15 days. Commissioner Baldeo Purushartha said he had sought a list of several such properties that were lying deserted and could earn a revenue for the civic body. The Newsline had reported how more than two years after the inauguration of the food street in Sector 48, the complex was lying deserted. Set up for the residents of the southern sectors in Chandigarh, the project fell flat after it found no takers for the six booths in the complex. The food street failed to start functioning despite forming groups of two kiosks each and lowering the rent from Rs 50,000 to Rs 20,000 for each unit.

Ruckus over delay

As the mayor was in a meeting with the BJP councillors and nominated councillors, the proceedings started 50 minutes late. The house normally starts at 11am. The Congress councillors held a press conference citing non-seriousness of the BJP mayor. Congress councillor HC Kalyan told the mayor: “When I was the mayor and the meeting started 15 minutes late, you had created a lot of ruckus and now you are coming 50 minutes late. Answer this. What was it that you people wanted to hide that it could not be discussed in front of us if the table agendas were being discussed.”

Table agendas again

Though the MC passed table agendas worth crores in the last meeting and few councillors said that agendas that required discussion should not be tabled at the last minute, the MC again got table agendas. The transfer of 13.46 acres of land to administration for construction of a college in Manimajra was brought as a table agenda.