MC goes slow on development works

Ramkrishan Upadhyay    

Tribune News Service    

Chandigarh,  June  13

Upgrade of a sewage treatment  plant, construction of connecting passages  in corridors at Sector  17  and  refurbishment  of   public toilets  are some of the 130  projects  of the Municipal  Corporation  which are awaiting completion for over a year and a half.

Sources said of the 150 works approved by the  general  house of the MC, a majority were pending for  various  reasons. While  some  of the  projects had been delayed  for lack of clearance of drawings from the Architecture Department,  many had been delayed for want of funds. 

The MC general house held 11  meetings last  year. Over 150  works of various  types,  including recarpeting of roads, were  passed  at the  meetings. The project for replacement of street   lights with LED lights was approved   in the  first meeting  on January 24,   2017, but the project is   yet to be  completed. While 40,000 lights  have been replaced, 9,000 lights  at dark spots  and gardens are yet to be  replaced. The decision to shift the upgrade work of the sewage plant under the Smart City project was taken at the same  meeting, but  work on it is yet to start. Likewise, another  project  for   dismantling   and reconstruction of connecting  passages of corridors  at Sector 17 has   been approved,  but the work is yet to start. Over 70 projects regarding recarpeting of roads  are also lying pending.

The MC had fixed  May 30, 2018, as the deadline for the completion of the works relating to recarpeting  of roads, but the fund crunch has delayed the  project.

The general house   had passed the  agenda for the purchase of new vehicles for the Fire Department, but the  process is yet to begin.

Devinder Singh Babla, Leader of the Opposition  in the MC, alleged that it was  the failure of the BJP government that development works in the city had come  to a standstill. He said he would raise  the  issue  in the next House  meeting. 

 Davesh  Moudgil,  Mayor,   said only former mayors  could explain  the delay in   the projects approved  during their tenure.   He said he had  taken over the charge  on January, 9, 2018, and had been working  hard to get the   required funds for the  MC from all sources. He said he would make sure that development was not affected due to a shortage  of funds.

Moudgil blames it on former mayors

Davesh  Moudgil,  Mayor,   said only former mayors  could explain the delay in the projects approved during their tenure. He said he had  taken over the charge on January, 9, 2018, and had been working hard to get the required funds for the  Municipal Corporation from all sources. He said he would make sure that the development of the City Beautiful was not affected due to a shortage of funds.