MC wants UT to take over Rs 100-cr works

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 24

The cash-strapped Municipal Corporation has decided to hand over works worth more than Rs 100 crore to the UT Administration. The Finance and the Contract Committee (F&CC) of the civic body will take the final call on the proposal.

Sources said the engineering wing of the MC had prepared a list of works to be transferred to the UT Administration. The list will be placed before the F&CC, which is scheduled to meet on June 26.

The projects the MC proposes to pass on to the UT include re-carpeting of city roads at the cost of Rs 52 crore, illumination of dark spots for Rs 26 crore and construction of three to four community centres in the city.

Due to fund crunch, the MC had stopped the works related to repair and re-carpeting of roads and construction of community centres.

Sources said the proposal would be part of the agenda of the General House meeting if the finance panel of the civic body gave its nod for it.

The UT Administration has already denied additional funds to the MC and asked it to generate more revenue and curtail its expenses. 

The MC is presently facing its worst financial crisis. It has stopped all payments, except for salary, pension and bills of emergent nature. The MC owes its contractors around Rs 50 crore. For want of payment, the contractors too have halted several works.

After five years of re-carpeting, roads in the city are constructed again. At present, the re-carpeting of roads in Sectors 22, 23, 24, 34, 36, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 52 and Dadu Majra has been put on hold. Devinder Singh Babla, Leader of the Opposition in the MC House, said instead of handing over the works to the UT Administration, the Mayor and the local MP should ensure the MC got additional funds.