Commissioner, officials walk out of MC meeting in P’kula

PANCHKULA: High drama was witnessed at the MC meeting today when Municipal Commissioner Lalit Siwach along with other officials including Joint Commissioner Ashutosh Rajan and executive officer OP Sihag walked out and boycotted the meeting even before the agenda items could be taken up.

Mayor Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia and OP Sihag, Executive Officer, (left) argue during the MC meeting in Panchkula on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: NITIN MITTAL

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 25

High drama was witnessed at the MC meeting today when Municipal Commissioner Lalit Siwach along with other officials including Joint Commissioner Ashutosh Rajan and executive officer OP Sihag walked out and boycotted the meeting even before the agenda items could be taken up.

The walkout was triggered by councillor Bhavna Gupta who said that she would pass a censure motion against him for bypassing resolutions of earlier meetings. The issue she raised was that in the MC meeting held in March, 2013, it was decided that if any inauguration was to be done in a particular ward, the councillor concerned would be informed and given credit for the same. She claimed that Kalka MLA Latika Sharma did so and she was not informed.The meeting started with high tempers as some councillors claimed to have received the agenda just a few hours before the meeting. They settled after initial shots against Mayor Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia and Siwach and the first agenda was presented before the House which was to confirm the minutes of the last meeting.

Events that led to walkout

Events that led to the walkout started with councillor Ravi Kant Swami questioning the formation of a new committee for sterilisation of stray dogs and scrapping of the old one. Sihag replied that it was made according the guidelines of the government. It was followed by Swami questioning the MC about giving permission for mobile towers against the MC’s resolution of 2014 to which Siwach said that HUDA had given permission for the permanent ones while the MC had granted permission only for the temporary ones which was done according to the government’s guidelines.

Bhavna Gupta questioned as to why she was not invited for an inauguration done by Latika Sharma which was followed by her mentioning the censure motion which immediately triggered the walkout. The Commissioner later said that it was a ‘symbolic boycott’ by them as some councillors dragged the officers into matters that were brought up only to serve their vested interests. He said if they wished to discuss three –year-old issues, a notice should have been given prior to the meeting.