Rs 40-crore road repair works commence in Chandigarh

Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla today announced the commencement of major city-wide road recarpeting works, following the opening of 11 successful tenders totalling ?40 crore. The initiative aims to swiftly repair and upgrade critical transport links across the city.

Babla said the project was moving forward with an organised approach, based on a rigorous assessment that classified roads into three distinct categories of degradation: Very Very Poor, Very Poor and Poor. The initial contracts, totalling Rs 40 crore, prioritise the most urgent repairs. Work to fix several V4, V5 and V6 category roads have already been allotted to contractors.

The Mayor officially launched the project by inaugurating the recarpeting of V6 roads in Sector 29. She acknowledged the need to balance speedy execution with citizen convenience.

“We understand the importance of smooth, high-quality roads for the daily lives of our residents,” she said, adding, “To avoid causing significant traffic disruption during the ongoing festive season, particularly leading up to Diwali, the work will be contained to limited areas for now. However, I assure the public that immediately after Diwali, the work will pick up in full throttle, utilising all the allotted resources.”

Speaking about the timeline, Babla promised that all awarded road recarpeting work will be successfully finished within a month after Diwali.

Babla announces one-time relief for vending licence defaulters

In a move aimed to support the city’s small businesses, Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla today announced a one-time relief for street vendors who have lost their vending licences due to non-payment of dues to the Municipal Corporation (MC).

Addressing appeals of 472 affected vendors, the Mayor declared a final opportunity for defaulters to regularise their dues within a three-month period. Vendors who clear their outstanding payments within this window will have their licenses reinstated. However, failure to comply will result in permanent cancellation of the licenses.

“This is a Diwali gift to our vendor community, many of whom have faced hardships due to economic challenges,” the Mayor said, adding, “We believe in inclusive growth, and this step ensures that small businesses get a fair chance to recover and thrive.”

Earlier, Babla had extended similar relief to 172 vendors after reviewing their appeals. The current decision expands the benefit to a larger number of vendors, reaffirming the Corporation’s commitment to the welfare of the informal sector.

She also emphasised that this was the final chance for defaulting vendors to settle their dues. “The MC will not entertain further appeals once the three-month period lapses,” she said, adding that the civic body will soon issue detailed guidelines for the payment process to ensure transparency and efficiency.