Delimitation ends, civic body sends details to higher-ups

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 10

The process of rationalisation of wards within the limits of the Municipal Corporation (MC) is complete. The file has been sent to higher ups in Chandigarh to decide how many wards will be added and what will be the population in each ward.

Meanwhile, employees hired through an outsourcing agency to conduct the door to door survey, have complained of not been given wages till date.

The Municipal Commissioner, Jaskiran Singh, however, said the process was complete and now, it was for the Local Bodies Department to decide how many wards had to be added.

When asked about non-payment of wages to workers, who did the delimitation work (survey), the Municipal Commissioner said workers were outsourced through an agency. “Now, there is a mismatch between what the company claims and the figures with us,” he said.

“We have asked the contractor several times to come to us and clear the difference, but he is not turning up. As far as funds are concerned, we have the money to pay workers, but things have to be cleared first,” he added.

Meanwhile, one of the committee members, appointed to conduct the survey, had recently claimed that there would be 95 wards. He said, “The approximate population in each ward will be 15,000.”

Municipal Commissioner said the Civic Body’s work was to get the survey conducted. “The number of wards or estimated population in each ward will finally be decided at the higher level,” he added.

At present, there are 75 wards within the MC limits. But, the population varies in each ward. In one ward it is 30,000 while in another it is just 7,000. The delimitation process has been done to rationalise everything and to divide the wards equally with approximately equal population.