Cong councillors corner Mayor at MC meet

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 12

Congress councillors on Friday cornered Mayor Balwant Rai Nath over going off track during the General House meet, which was held at the Municipal Corporation (MC) meeting hall on Friday.

At the start of the meeting, Mayor started praising Union Cabinet Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal for approving Rs 48 crore sewerage projects under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation scheme for the city.

Congress councillors headed by its senior councillor Jagroop Singh Gill strongly objected to it and demanded that Mayor should stick to the agenda of the meeting else provide them the details of the projects. Gill also alleged that during SAD-BJP rule in the state their leaders made illegal encroachments on ponds in the city.

Later, the heated argument turned into political battlefield as Congress councillors claimed that Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal had given Rs 30 crore for the development works in the city on which SAD-BJP councillors reacted sharply. Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said he would praise Manpreet Badal as well if Congress councillors can show that he has given any money to the MC.

SAD councillor Rajwinder Singh Sidhu claimed Congress has disrespected all the 50 councillors and MC officials terming them as 'corrupt', as this was the reason they transferred the work from the MC to the Improvement Trust.

Later, Congress councillor Malkit Singh said the work has not been given to the MC because they don't do anything as in last four years. He alleged the MC has not spent even a single penny in his ward but now road has been laid in his ward and the credit goes to Manpreet Badal. He also alleged that earlier he ran pillar to post to get the works of his areas done but nobody listened to him.

He also challenged to Mayor Balwant Rai Nath and MCB officials to go with him in his area and see the condition. He also claimed that if Mayor proves that even a single penny work has been done in his area under this tenure, then he would resign from his councillorship.

Meeting started at 3 pm and for first two hours argument over development works, sewerage and water supply works continued and later the discussion on agenda was started at around 5.30 pm.

Both the items in the agenda has been approved, which includes fees of Additional Advocate General, Punjab Ramzeeza Hakeem and her junior counsel Diya Sodhi for her assistance would be representing the MC in its case filed by JITF Company in arbitrator panel against MCB demanding claim of Rs 754 crore.