BJP committee favours joint civic body for Kalka, Pinjore

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 23

After Panchkula and Kalka MLAs, the 12-member committee of the district Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has also recommended constituting a separate civic body for Kalka and Pinjore. However, the BJP committee has recommended for retaining the status of the Panchkula civic body.

Notably, the Municipal Corporation General House had recently rejected the dissolution of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation.

Of 19 councillors, 17, including two BJP councillors, were against the dissolution of the MC.

Deputy Mayor Sunil Talwar, who is a BJP councillor, said the party wanted that the corporation status of the civic body be retained while granting a separate body for Kalka and Pinjore. “The Panchkula Municipal Corporation should not be dissolved at any cost,” Sunil Talwar said.

To solve the crisis over the dissolution of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation, district BJP president Deepak Sharma had formed a 12-member committee.

The committee members had met village representatives and resident welfare associations. They had sought their opinion over the issue.

Notably, on the demand of Kalka MLA Latika Sharma, the Urban Local Bodies Department, Haryana, had sought a report from the Divisional Commissioner, Ambala. Latika Sharma had written to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, submitting that under the Panchkula Municipal Corporation, no development had taken place in Kalka and Pinjore. Hence, Pinjore and Kalka should be separated from the Panchkula Municipal Corporation.

The Panchkula Municipal Corporation was set up in March 2010 by merging civic bodies of Panchkula, Pinjore and Kalka. After years of opposition, the Municipal Corporation elections were finally held in June 2013.

MC House had rejected proposal 

Recently, the Panchkula MC General House, in which a majority of the councillors are from the Congress and the INLD, had rejected the dissolution of the Municipal Corporation and had resolved to maintain the Panchkula MC, including Kalka and Pinjore. Of the 19 elected councillors, who were present in the MC House meeting on December 14, 17 were against the dissolution of the MC. It included two BJP councillors. 

Official panel bats  for separation

Recently, a committee under the chairmanship of Ambala Divisional Commissioner Vivek Joshi had recommended maintaining the corporation status for Panchkula but separating Kalka and Pinjore from it. For Kalka and Pinjore, the panel had recommended a joint civic body. The committee had also submitted its report to the Urban Local Bodies Department of the Haryana Government. 

Cabinet to take final call

During a recent visit to Panchkula, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had stated that the matter in connection with the dissolution of the Municipal Corporation would soon be discussed by the state cabinet. He had stated that they would take a final decision keeping in view the ground realities.