MC House hits a new low

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 27

The monthly House meeting of the Municipal Corporation (MC) today hit a new low when BJP and Congress councillors manhandled each other over the issue of imposition of house tax.

The councillors were seen pushing each other, snatching banners from each other, that too on the floor of the MC House.

It all started when Congress councillor Pardeep Chhabra started opposing house tax and blamed the BJP leadership for burdening the city residents. As Chhabra was speaking, BJP councillors requested Mayor Poonam Sharma to first confirm the minutes of the previous House meeting and then formally start the meeting.

As councillors were raising their voice against each other, those belonging to the Congress took out banners in the House, which read, “Imposition of house tax by Modi (BJP) govt murder of democracy”.

Seeing the Congress councillors, including Pardeep Chhabra, Subhash Chawla, Mukesh Bassi and Gurbax Rawat, raise these banners in the House, BJP councillors Davesh Moudgil and Satish Kainth tried to snatch these from them.

Things went out of control when BJP councillor Davesh Moudgil tried to snatch a banner from Congress councillor Subhash Chawla. Some BJP councillors came in support of Davesh while Congress councillors came in support of Chawla. Soon, councillors of both parties were seen manhandling each other.

Finally, Mayor Poonam Sharma asked the MC staff to play the National Anthem following which the meeting ended without even discussing a single agenda for the development of the city.

Previous incidents

August 8, 2013: BSP councillor Jannat Jahan used an expletive to show her anger against the functioning of the Mayor and MC officials, which were allegedly creating hurdles in the development of the Deep Complex, which falls in her ward.

May 24, 2013: Congress councillor Poonam Sharma and BJP councillors Heera Negi and Rajinder Kaur Rattu came to blows in the House. They pushed and dragged each other. BJP-SAD councillors threw bundles of pamphlets at the then Mayor, Subhash Chawla, and displayed banners, demanding former minister Pawan Bansal’s resignation on Railgate.

Rs1.25 lakh goesdown the drain

As no agenda of development was discussed at the House meeting on Thursday, an amount of Rs 1.25 lakh went down the drain. “The expenditure includes lunch for the councillors, mediapersons, officers, employees and the security staff. Besides, the MC hires a person to record the proceedings, special pay is given to the councillors to attend the meeting. The entire cost of the meeting is estimated to be around Rs 1.25 lakh,” said an MC official.

See also P3