Amritsar: Ex-Mayor to pay rent, power bill for his stay in Commissioner's house

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, November 30

Former Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu would have to pay 15 month rent for his stay in the Municipal Corporation Commissioner’s house during his term in 2021.

Two resolutions passed by the municipal corporation (MC) House on December 14, 2021, have been cancelled by the authorities concerned. Earlier, in the General House meeting, resolutions were passed to cancel two notices issued to former Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu for paying an amount of Rs 14.36 lakh bill for electricity used during his stay at the Commissioner’s residence and pay rent of the accommodation.

Then MC Commissioner Malwinder Singh Jaggi had served notices on Rintu in which the latter was asked to pay the market rent of the Commissioner’s and pending electricity bill of the illegally ‘occupied house.

In a letter to the authorities concerned, Jaggi had stated that he was entitled to get Rs 2,500 for the rented accommodation from the civic body as per the notification of the government issued on June 9, 2015.

As Mayor ‘illegally occupied’ the MC’s house, he had to pay double of the market rent as per the Punjab Government House (General Pool) Allotment Rules, 1983, read the notice.

Former MC Commissioner also got assessed per month market rent of house which was Rs 2,47,560. In a separate notice issued on November 15, 2021, Jaggi asked Rintu to pay Rs 14,36,000 electricity bill, which the MC had paid on his behalf. Rintu resided in the MC’s residence from July 2020 to October 2021 without any allotment of house.

While cancelling the proposals, Under Secretary, Local Bodies Department, made it clear that only the MC Commissioner had the right to use the house. He also instructed officials that no such proposal should be passed in the future. Officials were also told to collect rent from Rintu for using the MC Commissioner’s house.