Panchkula MC spent Rs 9.37 lakh on razing 14 bus queue shelters

Rajinder S Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, May 20

While the Panchkula Municipal Corporation has demolished 14 bus queue shelters in the city, questions are now being raised over the huge expenditure of Rs 9.37 lakh on the demolition.

The MC had demolished these shelters as a majority of these were unsafe. In place of these, the MC has planned new bus queue shelters with a modern design. In the new design, there will be facilities such as an ATM with a security guard, a mobile charging point, public information system, CCTV cameras and a structure open from the sides to ensure the safety of women.

However, now the Mayor and councillors have started raising questions over the work being allotted to a private company on a quotation rates. The Municipal Corporation had allotted the demolition work to a private firm at Rs 66,996 per structure. In all, the MC paid Rs 9.37 lakh to the private firm.

MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said he had sought a detailed report from the staff on the expenditure.

He said Panchkula would soon have new bus queue shelters.

The new design of these shelters was prepared by a road safety expert, Navdeep Asija, and his team after being appointed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Earlier, the bus queue shelters in Panchkula were under the control of the Haryana Urban Development Authority, but in 2008, these were transferred to the civic body.

Why did MC not use its own resources?

Questions are being raised over why the work was allotted to a private firm, that too for a whopping Rs 9.37 lakh, when the MC has two JCB machines, tractor-trailers and labour.

Commuters at the receiving end

These structures were demolished in the first week of April, but till date the MC has failed to construct new bus queue shelters. As a result, commuters have no option but to wait for buses in the open in the scorching heat.