Days after suspension, Patiala Mayor attends office

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 30

A day after moving the Punjab and Haryana High Court over his alleged suspension as Mayor, Sanjeev Sharma Bittu today reached the Municipal Corporation office here and conducted business as usual.

Two Congress councillors, backed by respective groups, have staked claim to the post. The Local Government Department is yet to approve the general house’s proceedings of Sharma’s suspension of November 25.

The MC general house had deemed the Mayor suspended after he got only 25 votes, while 36 members voted against him. The proceedings signed by Senior Deputy Mayor Yoginder Singh Yogi were sent to the department but Director, Local Government, Puneet Goyal said the office was deliberating upon the matter legally.

Sharma said, “I have filed a petition in the court as the opposing councillors were supposed to prove no-confidence motion against me. They failed as they did not have the two-thirds majority, so my suspension as Mayor is wrong. I will continue to function till the matter is in the court.”

He also issued orders on his official letterhead to Commissioner Vineet Kumar asking him to speed up work on the shifting of dairies.

Yogi, who was given the officiating charge of Mayor by the general house, said: “The majority of the house had decided that he (Sharma) failed to prove majority, and thus suspended him. Today, he sat in the Mayor’s chair by violating the constitution of the house. In fact, the quorum of the general house is complete with the presence of more than half the councillors, but he has the confidence of less than the required number.”

The MC Commissioner said the house proceedings were awaiting the approval of the department. Brahm Mohindra, Local Bodies Minister said, “Everyone has the right to go to court. Let it decide the matter. We will abide by the court orders.”