Amritsar's councillor’s kin threaten stir over XEN’s ‘misconduct’

A dispute between ward No. 65 councillor Neeraj Chaudhary’s family and Municipal Corporation’s Executive Engineer (XEN) Swaraj Inderpal Singh has intensified, with calls for the engineer’s suspension gaining momentum. Councillor’s husband Pawan Chaudhary and his father former councillor Surinder Chaudhary met the Municipal Commissioner Gulpreet Singh on Thursday and demanded immediate action.

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The confrontation began on July 3 during an argument between Pawan and the XEN at the MC office. The following day, the councillor, her husband and their supporters symbolically protested by placing garlands and lighting incense sticks at the XEN’s chair as he was not present in the office. A video of this protest was circulating widely on social media.

Pawan and his father told the municipal commissioner their version of the incident. They alleged that Swaraj Inderpal Singh was trying to get attention by making false accusations against them. He claimed that ward No. 65 had not received any grant in the last three years and that no Mohalla Sudhar Committee employee had been deployed.

He accused the XEN of misleading the administration and officials’ association with fabricated stories. Former XEN SP Singh also reportedly confirmed that no staff attendance had ever been submitted from ward No. 65. Pawan and Surinder Chaudhary warned that if the XEN was not suspended, they would stage a protest next Wednesday.

In a separate incident, Sanjeev Tangri, husband of ward No. 64 councillor Neetu Tangri, met Mayor and alleged that a streetlight patroller used inappropriate language against his wife at the office of Neeraj Chaudhary. Tangri has threatened to protest if action is not taken by next week.