For UT, charity begins at home

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 27

While on the one hand, the Chandigarh Administration and the Municipal Corporation have put burden on city residents with the imposition of house tax to increase revenue generation, on the other, the Administration wants free parking passes for its officials while councillors, including the Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and the Deputy Mayor, want a hike in their honorarium on the pattern of the Punjab Government.

Two different agenda items for free parking passes and a hike in the honorarium of councillors are coming up for discussion in the general house meeting of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation on November 30.

In April this year, the Punjab Government had hiked the honorarium of the Mayor from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per month, that of the Senior Deputy Mayor from Rs 16,000 to Rs 24,000 and that of the Deputy Mayor from Rs 12,500 to Rs 18,725 per month. Similarly, the constituency allowance of the councillors in Punjab was hiked from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month where as their telephone allowance was enhanced from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per month. On a similar pattern, city councillors  also want a hike in their honorarium. A proposal in this regard was sent to the Administration, which has now asked the MC to get it passed in the general house meeting. 

At present, the honorarium of the Mayor is Rs 20,000 per month, that of the Senior Deputy Mayor is Rs 16,500 and that of the Deputy Mayor is Rs 12, 500 per month. The honorarium of the elected councillors is Rs 10,000. The payment for attending meetings is Rs 500 and the telephone allowance is Rs 2,000 a month.  Meanwhile, bureaucrats want free parking passes for their vehicles. An agenda to provide free parking passes for the vehicles of IAS, IPS, PCS and HCS officers,  is also coming up for discussion in the MC meeting.