General House Meet: Mohali MC sanctions 25% budget hike for ongoing water supply system

The city’s water supply scheme, a lack of sanitation, and other civic issues continued to dominate the discussion at the General House Meeting of Mohali Municipal Corporation today.

The long-standing issues of alleged corruption in the advertising revenue and illegal encroachments by vendors on city roads completed the proceedings of the meeting.

Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu approved the integration of AI-powered automation devices for the city’s water supply system in Sectors 76 to 78. The corporation sanctioned a 25 per cent budget enhancement for the ongoing water supply system to ensure timely completion.

The Rs. 71.72 lakh project aims to modernise operations and ensure uninterrupted water supply to city residents.

Eight main agenda items were placed on the table and given a nod during the meeting.

Rs 5 crore were approved by the head office for garbage disposal to ensure improved waste management and compliance with the Swachh Bharat Mission guidelines. This will enable the city to adopt advanced technologies like bio-methanation and efficient wet and dry waste processing.

Among the other major decisions, the much-awaited approval was given to the revised estimates for the annual maintenance of water supply schemes in Sectors 76 to 78. The project will cover free one-year operations and maintenance, followed by a provision for an additional four years.

After the closure of the dumping site at Phase-8, Industrial Area, better utilisation of the city’s 14 Resource Management Centre (RMC) points for waste segregation and processing was also discussed.

Acknowledging the hike in DC rates, the corporation approved a 25 per cent revision in the budget allocated for labour costs at the RMC points to ensure timely wage disbursement.

Mayor Sidhu said, “Areas like water supply and sanitation need more focus to enhance the quality of life for residents. There is also a need for timely execution of all approved projects.”

During the meeting, senior deputy mayor Rishav Jain, councillor Narpinder Rangi, Harjit Singh Bholu, and Kulwant Singh Klaer raised a banner, highlighting encroachments by vegetable vendors on roadsides.

Former deputy mayor Manjeet Singh Sethi raised his objection regarding the alleged corruption in advertising revenue and again demanded a vigilance probe into the matter.

Deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi said public utilities in market areas should be kept open till 11pm as many markets, including Phase-3B2, were open till late at night and residents faced difficulty.

Councillor Rupinder Kaur Reena alleged the development work of Bougainvillaea Park in Phase-4 had been left incomplete by the contractor concerned.