High drama as Chandigarh MC meet on fiscal crisis ends in deadlock

Amid high drama, Mayor Kuldeep Kumar on Tuesday suspended the special House meeting without holding any discussion on the fiscal crunch being faced by the Municipal Corporation (MC). The session, which commenced with a welcoming ceremony for newly appointed Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar, soon turned ugly as the Mayor and BJP councillors engaged in heated arguments.

BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi initiated the proceedings by challenging the validity of the meeting. He claimed according to the Municipal Corporation Act, a notice of at least 48 hours should be provided to the councillors prior to such

gatherings. “In this case, the invitation was sent on Monday evening, less than 24 hours before the meeting. So, is this meeting valid?” he asked Municipal Secretary Gurinder Singh Sodhi.

Sodhi defended the meeting’s legitimacy, stating, “The meeting has been called as per the rules. This is not the first time special meetings have been convened on such short notice given the urgency of the situation.”

As the discussion progressed, AAP councillor Hardeep Singh requested that municipal officers present the financial figures related to the MC’s receipts and expenditures for the current fiscal year. However, before Sodhi could respond, BJP councillor Harpreet Kaur Babla interrupted, expressing resentment over the lack of prior information.

“These figures are going above our head. The Mayor should have provided us the meeting agenda a day in advance so that we could have read it thoroughly. Proper protocol should be followed. It is just a mockery of the system,” she insisted.

“For the past three months, I have been repeatedly saying why development agendas worth crores of rupees were tabled in the House when the civic body is facing a severe shortage of funds. But at that time, I was accused of being against the development of the city,” she quipped.

In response, the Mayor stated, “All councillors were given a copy of the MC’s budget, and if the figures were not presented to you now, you could have patiently listened to the officers. Our new commissioner has to join the UT Adviser’s meeting, so let’s reconvene in a few days.” Soon after the meeting was suspended, BJP councillors raised slogans against the Mayor.

The BJP later criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its Mayor Kuldeep Kumar, accusing him of mismanagement and lack of transparency during the special meeting. Former Mayor and senior BJP leader Anup Gupta called out the Mayor for failing to provide a prior agenda regarding the financial situation of the MC.

According to Gupta, when councillors enquired about official figures of the MC’s expenditures and receipts, the Mayor had no satisfactory response. Instead, the Mayor abruptly suspended the meeting without addressing the concerns raised by the elected representatives. “This is yet another example of the Mayor’s immaturity and disregard for the democratic process,” Gupta said.

The BJP leader further demanded that the Mayor should present a detailed report of the total expenses incurred for the suspended meeting at the next House session. He criticised the expenditure as a waste of taxpayers’ money and demanded that the Mayor should bear its cost from his own pocket.

‘Short notice, AAP flouting rules’

• BJP councillors claim as per rules, a notice should be given at least 48 hours prior to the meeting
• But the notice was sent on Monday evening, less than 24 hours before the meeting, they say
• MC Secretary Gurinder Sodhi says special meetings on urgent matters can be convened on short notice