Chandigarh Civic body seeks Rs 54 crore for road recarpeting
Cash-strapped Municipal Corporation (MC) has sought Rs 54 crore from the UT Administration for recarpeting of roads in the city.
In a letter to UT Adviser Rajeev Verma, Mayor Kuldeep Kumar said: “The MC maintains 2,000 km roads across the city, including V-3, V-4, V-5, V-6 stretches and parking lots, in various sectors, rehabilitaion colonies and villages. There is a need to recarpet 270 km roads or parking lots and the approximate work cost is Rs 53.15 crore. Owing to an acute shortage of funds in the MC, the recarpeting work on these roads/ parking lots is held up, due to which general public is facing great inconvenience and disruption in transportation.”
“However, the MC is carrying out patchwork on the said roads but such minor maintenance is not enough for providing a smooth riding surface to the general public as well as emergency vehicles. Further, it is also reiterated that the prolonged and severe monsoon season had further damaged the pavements, which has led to urgent requirement of re-carpeting,” the Mayor stated.
Officials stated that the entire stretch of 270 km roads require urgent carpeting and the work was to be started soon after the monsoon season.
“It is requested that a dedicated fund of Rs 54 crore may please be released at the earliest for re-carpeting the roads,” stated the Mayor.
Mayor Kuldeep Kumar has also called a special House meeting on October 21 over the growing financial crisis in the MC. The meeting has been called to address the financial challenges stalling the development projects in the city.
The development works have been at a standstill since May due to the financial crunch, with no new tenders being floated. During a House meeting held on September 26, BJP councillors had expressed concern over the halted projects. They called for an all-party meeting to resolve the situation and find ways to restart the projects.
All civic works, including those already approved by the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) and the MC General House have been put on hold for the past six months.
