Stillborn MC House is councillors’ bane

Akash Ghai

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Tribune News Service

Mohali, June 20

The first election to the Mohali Municipal Corporation (MC) has so far been a mammoth exercise in futility.

About Rs 25 lakh of public money was spent on conducting the polls while as many as189 candidates, who were in fray for the 50-seat MC House, shelled out over Rs 1.5 crore on campaigning. Efforts of a total of 77,200 voters too have practically gone useless so far.

Reason: Nearly four months have passed since the elections were held on February 22 and results came out on February 26, but there is a no clue as to when the House would start functioning.

The election of Mayor has been entangled in a court war between the Punjab Government and certain councillors. Besides, ‘inflated egos’ of SAD Mohali in-charge and former union minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia and Akali rebel and coloniser-turned-politician Kulwant Singh have only made the things worse.

The elected councillors took the oath of office on April 27, but the election of Mayor is held up as the matter is in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The state government’s step of reserving the post for women on March 4 made an Independent councillor knock the doors of the High Court moving a plea against it on March 9. Later, a Congress councilor moved High Court against the state government’s another decision of holding the Mayor’s election by show of hands, which was later dismissed by the court.

‘Apparently the seat was reserved in a bid to prevent Kulwant Singh from becoming the Mayor of the town’ was the view of most elected councillors, including those belonging to the SAD.

Despite emerging as the largest party in the MC elections with 23 seats, the SAD-BJP combine could not reach the magic figure of 26 to have majority in the House. The remaining 27 seats were divided into the Congress (14), Kulwant Singh-led Azad Group (11) and two Independents. Amteshwar Kaur, a councillor from the Azad Group, passed away nearly a month after the election, thus reducing the group’s seats to 10.

“As Ramoowalia did not want to see Kulwant Singh as the Mayor of Mohali, he was instrumental in the government’s decision of reserving the post for women,” admitted a senior local Akali leader.

Ramoowalia had already claimed that the first ever Mayor of the town would be an Akali leader.

Kulwant Singh, the leader of the Azad Group, had left the SAD just a month before the elections as his loyalists were denied tickets. He formed his own ‘Azad Group’.

Notably, the High Court had allowed petitions against the state government’s move to reserve Mohali Mayor’s post for women on April 20. But the state government filed an appeal petition before the Double Bench in Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging the order of single bench on reservation of the post. The next date of hearing in the case is slated for July 22.

Residents speak

Our hopes have dashed

If somebody says that Mohali is one of the best towns in Punjab, he should visit our area. You can compare our village, located in Sector 68, with any backward village of the state. We elected our representative with a high hope that things would improve, but there is no change in the situation so far. — Balwinder Singh Kumbhra, resident of Sector 68

It is murder of democracy

Four months have passed since the MC elections took place, but the House is headless. This reflects how ‘serious’ the government is towards public works. This is murder of democracy. — Baljeet Kaur Purkhalwi,         Resident of Sector 70

Councillors are helpless

When we go to the councillor of our area, he explains his helplessness in getting works done. Why lakhs were spent on holding elections if the government was least concerned about public grievances. — Dharam Singh Saini, resident of Phase II

People suffering the most

It is a fact that residents are suffering because of matter (election of mayor) pending in the court. The people have elected their candidates with lots of hopes, which are now being shattered. Even the councillors are upset and disheartened. — Manmohan Singh Daun, resident of Phase VI

Development works not hit

It is wrong to say that developmental works are being affected as the MC House is not lying non-functional. We respect the public mandate and the respective councillor is being consulted before starting any work in an area. Whenever a public representative approaches us for some work in the town, we immediately act upon it.Rs

— Uma Shankar Gupta, Mc Commissioner

At loggerheads

‘Inflated egos’ of SAD Mohali in-charge Balwant Singh Ramoowalia (left) and Akali rebel Kulwant Singh, a coloniser-turned-politician, have only made the things worse.

What MC COUNCILLORS have to say on the STALEMATE

Commissioner raj in town

Due to a non-functional House, the town has been witnessing ‘commissioner raj’. The elected municipal councillors are ‘hapless’ and MC officials are least bothered about the development of the town. — Manjit Sethi (Independent) 

We can’t face voters

Though the House is not yet functional, we manage to get the developmental works done. It is a fact that four months have been wasted and several councillors are finding it hard to face people in their wards. — Satvir Singh Dhanoa (SAD)

We are rendered helpless

}Almost four months have passed since the elections took place; still, I have no clue when I would be able to fulfil the expectations of people who voted me to the seat. They are approaching me for various developmental works, but since the MC House is non-functional, I cannot do anything. — SAHIBEE ANAND (BJP)

MC officials don’t listen to us

}A heap of construction material has been lying in front of my house for the past two months and I find myself unable to get it removed through MC men. They (the MC officials) just don’t listen to councillors. — Harvinder Kaur Lang (Independent)

Election held up as SAD-BJP sure of defeat

The state government does not want to hold the Mayor’s election as it knows that the SAD-BJP alliance would fail to prove majority in the House. When the High Court’s single bench has rejected the reservation of the post for women, why did the government go for a review? — Kuljeet Singh Bedi (Congress)

State govt messed it up

It is not four months but a span of more than five years has been wasted. The state government has messed up all and there is no development at all. The people would come out on roads against the government’s anti-public stance. — RP Sharma (Azad Group)

Our hopes have dashed

People had been contacting councillor to redress problems in their respective areas, but nobody is there in the MC to listen to the grievances. I have given a list of pending works in my ward to MC officials but nobody cares. Our hopes have been shattered. — Amrik Singh Somal (Congress)

Development works hit

Public representatives know the problems of their areas better. In the absence of a functional House, development works have been hit. The ball is in the court’s court now. — Arun Sharma (BJP) 

Residents are at the receiving end

The councillors, who were not in the race for top posts, have created hurdles. They are responsible for the scenario today and people are at the receiving end for development works have been affected. — Jaspreet Kaur (SAD) 

Govt playing a negative role

The government has been playing a negative role. Keeping the House in a limbo by not allowing the Mayor’s election to take place clearly indicated that Akalis are not interested in development works. We are looking forward to the court’s decision now. — Amrik Singh Tehsildar (Independent)