Budget meeting of Amritsar MC General House set to be stormy affair

The upcoming Budget and General House meeting of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC) on March 29 is expected to be contentious. The MC House comprises 85 councillors and seven MLAs. At present, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has 24 councillors, along with the support of seven Independent councillors and two BJP councillors.

Besides, all seven MLAs in the House belong to the AAP. On the other hand, the Congress has 40 councillors and the support of one Independent councillor. The House also includes seven BJP and four Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) councillors. The Congress leaders claimed that Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia does not have a clear majority. Any proposal presented in the General House meeting requires the support of 51 per cent members present, they said. The final outcome regarding the strength of each party would be determined by the attendance at tomorrow’s meeting, they said.

The meeting is scheduled to be held at the main office of the corporation in Ranjit Avenue at 3 pm. The first session would focus on the Budget, in which a financial proposal of Rs 459.45 crore would be presented. Approval of the Budget is crucial, as it ensures the functioning of the MC, including salaries for officials and employees, as well as other operational expenses such as fuel procurement, development work, councillor allowances, electricity bills and other essential services.

Due to the necessity of Budget approval for the corporation’s operations, it is unlikely that the Congress, the SAD or the BJP councillors will not oppose it.

Besides, a supplementary agenda prepared by the MC’s agenda branch on March 27 has been included, proposing sterilisation of 20,000 stray dogs, procurement of chemical for spraying, execution of certain civil development projects, bioremediation of the waste at the Bhagtanwala dump and the establishment of an integrated solid waste management facility in Amritsar.

However, the financial allocation for these projects has not been disclosed, and the detailed project report (DPR) for bioremediation and solid waste management is yet to be prepared.

There is also possibility of introducing a table agenda during the meeting. The most significant point in this agenda could be the selection of two councillors for the Finance and Contract Committee, along with granting authority to Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia to appoint chairpersons and members of other sub-committees of the civic body.