Mayor lists out MC’s 3-yr achievements

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 21

Shimla Mayor Sanjay Chauhan and Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar released a paper citing the achievements of the Shimla Municipal Corporation’s (MC) three-year rule here today.

They blamed sitting BJP and Congress councillors, who dominates the present MC House, for the delay in delivering services and carrying out development works.

“We introduced a mixed property-tax system instead of unjustified unit-area method floated by the BJP and the Congress. We carried out development works worth Rs 50 crore on improvement of paths, roads streetlights, drains, sewerage, walls, railings etc with consensus, but the BJP and Congress councillors failed to show any interest in forming ward committee as mandated under the Municipal Act,” they told mediapersons today.

“On the other hand, the government cut the octroi from 50 to 30 per cent and we did not get a penny on account of Rs 100-crore grant we had sought from it,” Chauhan rued.

“We faced a shortage of 50 per cent staff yet delivered best services in the city, which is now covered under the smart city mission by the Centre,” they claimed.

“The MC is delivering 125 litre per capita portable water everyday in the town and door-to-door garbage collection improved from 35 tonne to 85 tonne per day in the past three years. The Saheb Society covers nearly 30,000 households,” Chauhan said.

“Now, we are trying to cover the remaining 8,000 households, keeping stray dogs and monkeys off by lifting the bins and making Shimla clean and green,” he said.

However, residents, mainly handicapped, the elderly and women, continue to face problems as both the HRTC and the MC failed to start pink taxis and battery charged golf carts in the city.

“Efforts are afoot to start the service soon,” Panwar said.

The MC launched grievance redressal helpline, improved water distribution and door-to-door collection of garbage service, but failed to deliver on the promise of launching battery charged carts and pink taxis.

Marred by fund and staff shortage, MC’s three years turned out to be a mixed bag for residents and it still has miles to go to actualise its dream of making Shimla a smart city.

Its promise to make Shimla a slum-free city remains a pipe dream. People can be seen sleeping on streets and footpaths near the old bus stand even today. The Mayor said the MC had floated plans to de-slum Kot Hill, Idgah and other 87 slums in the city. “Street vendors will be rehabilitated once the Rs-3.85 crore shopping complex for over 300 street vendors is complete”, the Mayor claimed.

“We have redressed 5,000 complaints hrough online helpline and a round-the-clock helpline has also been launched for residents,” Panwar said.