Don’t burden state exchequer, solve issues: Residents

It is not very pleasant to hear about councillors trip to Leh on public expenses. This money should be have been used on development. We do not pay to the Municipal Corporation (MC) for councillors’ excursions. And there is no relation between the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Leh. Councilors should first learn to make proper excuses. When the MC did not get any money in the interim Budget presented in June, it complained a lot about how to manage affairs. Councillors should give reason for undertaking jaunts on public expense. Strict action should be taken against public representatives, who indulge in such activities.

Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh

Tour has jeopardised public works

It’s gratifying that certain councillors having great reverence for Guru Nanak Dev ji flew to Leh to pay obeisance at the historic gurdwara sahib. Such an adventure was undertaken by the councillors at public expenses and that too when the Municipal Corporation is facing acute financial crises is disgusting and deplorable. This trip has jeopardised progress of many ongoing public works. The authorities must take a note of such extravaganzas and ensure that under no circumstances such activities are allowed even under the garb of study jaunts. Today, one can gather any information on internet. In the fitness of things, councillors must peep in to their inner consciousness and make sure to deposit the expenses incurred on the Leh trip in the government treasury. 

SS Arora, Mohali 

Austerity is the need of the hour

Public money should be spent for the welfare of public only. Councillors going to Leh on public expense is not justified. Such practices should be stopped immediately. In this case, expenses incurred on the trip should be realised from councillors. The Municipal Corporation (MC) is not in a position to pay for new projects for the want of funds. At the same time, the civic body is wasting funds on such unproductive tours. The need of the hour is austere measures by the MC to mitigate funds problem faced by it. On some previous occasions, decision was taken to avoid such expenditures. Why are we not following these? 

Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Chandigarh 

Political parties are equally to be blamed

Chandigarh was a model city case study for pan India. It’s condition has gone from bad to worse all because of inefficient and corrupt politician-babudom nexus. Municipal councillors are free loaders. They go on excursions on taxpayers’ money. What did they learn from their trip? What did they submit in their report on last trip? What they have submitted in the report be corroborated with the Leh and Ladakh website to make sure the material is not copied. To study any city is just a mouse click away. One doesn't need to be there in physical form. Political parties are equally to blamed for fielding incompetent councillors, who can’t see the urgency of work in their own ward. 

Gurjusjit Singh, Chandigarh

Administration is also responsible 

The Municipal Corporation (MC) is in such a financial mess that it can’t even pay salaries to its staff. Meanwhile, councillors and officials went on a leisure trip to Leh gurdwara on the eve of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev and that too at the taxpayers’ money. The move is sheer wastage of funds. In fact, councillors should have contributed from their own pocket for the trip to religious place for paying obeisance and seek blessings. The Administration despite opposition from certain quarters approved Leh trip. It is equally responsible for this wasteful/unjustified expenditure. If conscience of councillors/officials, who went on the trip, pricks them for wasting public money, they should pay back the amount claimed for an excursion so that it can be utilised on welfare scheme.

AS Ahuja, Chandigarh

MC must increase its revenue

Cash-starved Municipal Corporation (MC) should use its scarce resources prudently. The taxpayers’ money must not be wasted on excursions. IT tools and internet can be used to get required information and solve problems faced by councillors. The MC should work towards increasing its revenue rather than wasting money on trips. Moreover, previous trips have never yielded desired results as seen from the review. People have reposed faith in councillors. They got councillors elected to get their voice heard in the MC House. This results in more taxes on the gullible public. Let’s stop this practice and work towards the betterment of public.

Dr Rajeev Kumar, Chandigarh

Mayor should have visited troops in Leh

There should be no objections to councillors visit to Leh for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev. Even Centre and states governments are also spending for the Guru's birth anniversary celebrations. However, if planned properly, this visit could have been appreciated. Besides celebrations, Chandigarh Mayor should have visited our troops at Leh and gifted sweets to boost their morale. Many politicians visit Leh to boost the morale of soldiers. Now, Ladakh is a UT. The Chandigarh Administration should share its administrative experiences for the development of Ladakh, which borders China.

Col Balbir Singh Mathauda (Retd)

Vigilance must probe leh trip

The recent pilgrimage of the councillors of the cash-starved Municipal Corporation (MC), Chandigarh, to Leh and Ladakh on the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev at public expenses is not only unjustified but also unethical. It is quite uncalled for that the MC on the one hand is crying for the shortage of funds for carrying out development works and even paying salaries and at the same time spending lavish amount on pleasure trips at the cost of taxpayers’ money. This episode needs a thorough probe. The amount spent on the trip must be recovered from councillors, besides treating them on leave for the trip period. A Vigilance enquiry will certainly be an eye opener of the episode. 

Rajender Kumar Garg, Zirakpur

Councillors’ Study tours of no use

No, this is not at all justified. I am pained to know about the Leh trip. In the past, the city and its residents had a bitter experience. Nobody has benefitted from such study tours. It's strange still public money is spent on such trips. It is totally wastage of taxpayers’ money.  The MC is facing shortage of funds to carry out development works and to pay salaries to its staff. How can people tolerate and keep quiet. Amount spent on Leh trip should be recovered from councillors.  MC officials should answer to the public as to why Leh trip allowed on government expenses. Their action is shameful.  

Vidya Sagar Garg, Panchkula

Leh trip should have been self-financed

Councillors Leh trip on funds from the public exchequer is not justifiable as this is public money and should be used for the benefit of masses. Secondly, if councillors want to visit any place to celebrate any occasion, it should be self-financed. No burden should be put on the public exchequer. Councillors must pay for the Leh trip from their salaries given to them by the government. The MC is already in short of funds and can't afford such expenses.

Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh

Tour to metro could be useful

It is amazing that despite the Municipal Corporation (MC), Chandigarh, facing huge financial crunch such futile excursion is approved for councillors on the pretext of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Leh and that too at public expenses. Had it been a study tour of any metro city for the better management of amenities, it would have been of use for improvement of Chandigarh. In future, only study tours be arranged along with technical/expert teams for the development of new projects in Chandigarh.

Bhupinder S Sealopal, Mohali

Don’t spend public money without reason

It is true that selfishness turns a man blind without reasons. All political leaders are social workers. They should serve the people and nation. They should provide best facilities to the public. They should always remember that bare words fill no belly. They should try to end bad customs in society. Public money must not be spent without genuine reason. Politicians should not waste public money on personal picnics/tours. They should bear all expenditure of such trips from their pockets. Honesty is best policy. Politicians must try to finish corruption from society.

Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Chandigarh

Councillors must follow Guru’s values

As the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is facing shortage of funds to meet necessary expenses it’s not justified on the part of elected representatives to use public money on torus. They should follow ethical values taught by Guru Nanak Sahib Ji by serving the humanity. Guru Sahib had said, ‘Guru di golak, greeb da muh’, means one should help the poor and needy instead of donating money or gold to various temples. The actual obeisance to Guru Nanak Sahib Ji on his 550th birth anniversary is to provide proper facilities to city residents, who elect councillors.

Nakhpreet Kaur, Chandigarh 

Democracy is in danger

It is irresponsible on part of the councillors to spend public money on their tours and that too in the name of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. This is where democracy seems to be in danger. They don't have any right to use public money with impunity. It would have made some sense if a few from the general public went with councillors to pay tribute to the Guru at gurdwara in Leh. Otherwise, the money could have been used for some other social welfare. Councillors should have paid for the Leh trip on their own. They are accountable for misusing the public money. Moreover, the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, is cash starved. Such practices must be stopped with an immediate effect. 

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi, Chandigarh 

Tourism-oriented visits must stop

The famous song, ‘Yeh dil hai ki manta nahin ...,’ is apt for our UT councillors. First, a long list of study tours and now a farce religious trip to Leh. The Chandigarh Administrator needs to firmly handle the misuse of public funds by elected representatives. Earlier, Municipal Commissioner’s proposal to visit various cities to understand handling of the civic amenities was reprehensible and condemnable. The MC has been wasting public money on such junkets for over 15 years, year after year. The total bill for such visits is over Rs 2.5 crore of the taxpayers' money. Moreover, they call these study tours or cultural exchange programmes to give it an eye wash. These are fun and entertainment tours and a sheer wastage of money. All expenses incurred on these junkets till date should be borne by councillors.

Rajiv Boolchand Jain, Chandigarh

Executive dances to netas’ tunes

Wasting public money on the Leh sojourn by Mayor and councillors in the name of the 550th anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev tantamounts to 'using' Guru's greatness and cannot be justified. The bane of our electoral democracy is that elected representatives get to control the public purse. Netas are often tempted to splurge public money at their whims and fancies with the executive dancing to their tunes. Every rupee spent for personal aggrandisement by councillors casts its shadow on funds to the detriment of public utilities and services. Leaders get hefty pay, perks and authority to accomplish public welfare. Sadly, charity begins at home. Laws and rules provide for sufficient checks and balances, but they all lie mute in statute books. Top bureaucrats, who are trained and paid to implement laws often succumb to pressures or for a consideration. CAG and auditors down the line remain toothless tigers. It's time to devise an inbuilt mechanism to guard the guards. 

Lalit Bharadwaj, Chandigarh 

MC cannot splurge public money

It's totally unjustified to spend public money in the name of official trips when the MC is going through financial crunch. The MC should cut its expenses and provide basic amenities to residents that they need, including traffic lights, functional street lights, re-carpeting of roads, parking space and many more. The MC has no right to spend public money on such wasteful acts.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

Councillors must Bear expenses of tour

The motive of councillors visit to Leh at the MC expenses must be known to residents. If their trip was to get some new experience to improve the system and effective functioning of the civic body or for getting any technology for better development of the city, then being elected representatives they have to share their views with residents. Secondly, if these councillors have gone for pilgrimage to seek the blessings at Gurdwara Pathar Sahib then hopefully they won’t claim travel expenses as still no approval has been taken from the UT Administration. The councillors must give priority to civic works and stop such tours. At present, they should bear expenditures of the Leh tour.

Sukhpal Singh, Chandigarh 

Indiscretion on part of bureaucracy

Showing a rare unanimity of mindset, councillors of different political parties enjoyed trip to Leh to celebrate Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 550th birth anniversary at the cost of taxpayers’ money. Will such a trip help the electorate in any way to solve their day to day civic problems? Not really. People are just wondering as to how all these councilors, who cannot see eye to eye, on civic problems, became co-travelers on this totally unrelated tour. The bureaucracy also has shown its indiscretion particularly, when the Chandigarh MC has no money to carry out even essential road repairs in the city. This is just the height of impertinence on the part of all those, who have knowingly flouted the rule book. Before fleecing consumers with a further raise in tariff rates of water and electricity, to fill the empty coffers of the MC, people expect the UT Administrator to make these councillors refund the money spent by them on this totally unrelated trip.

SC Luthra, Chandigarh

Councillors think they are above law

Shame on the Chandigarh municipal councillors, who went to Leh on a jaunt under the fake guise of the 550 years celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s birth anniversary. Elected representatives of the people think they are above the law and superior human beings. That they have total authority to throw dust in the eyes of electors and enjoy all comforts of the world on their money. Shame indeed. Yes, all money spent by them on such trips should be recovered with 1,000 per cent interest for fooling people of the City Beautiful.

RK Kapoor, Chandigarh

Pass resolution to stop tours

Public money is wasted without any checks. As a result, no funds are available for maintenance and expansion of the infrastructure in Chandigarh. Instead, the Municipal Coropration is imposing fresh taxes/cess to generate revenue. The money spent on the religious tour should be recovered from all counciullors and officials with interest. A resolution should be passed by the MC House to stop such trips and incur such expenses in future.  

KC Rana, Chandigarh

Trips planned for leisure

Many such study trips have been undertaken by councillors in the past. However, these have yielded no desirable result. Instead, it appears these trips are planned for their leisure rather than give some productive output. Although there will be no end to these trips, but the MC must provide a detailed report about all trips undertaken by councillors, what they learned from it and what impact it has made in the working of the Chandigarh MC. In the current scenario, it is sheer waste of public funds and more disagreeable given the current financial status of the Municipal Corporation (MC). 

Sikander Singh, Chandigarh

Stop loot of public money

When Rome was burning, Nero was playing flute. This exactly fits on the councillors of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC). The city is facing problems of sanitation, garbage collection and disposing of while councillors preferred to tour Leh to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. This is misuse of the Guru's name. Councillors were seen boating at lake in Leh. What honesty we can expect from them? It is shame.  Why they did not go to Kartarpur if their intentions were clear on the anniversary? It is not the first time that these elected representative wasted people's money. They went to Goa, demand laptops, which more than half of them don't know how to use. Such colossal waste of public money is unethical, unwarranted and illogical. The Administrator must stop this loot of public money for pleasure trips.

Capt (retd) Amar Jeet Kumar, Mohali

Councillors can visit nearby gurdwara

The idea of sending councillors of already debt-ridden Chandigarh MC to Leh gurdwara on the pretext of celebrations on account of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji on government expenses is total waste of tax payers’ money. It was nothing else, but a leisure trip as they could have visited nearby gurdwara to pay obeisance. If councillors are sincere and follow Guru Nanak Dev’s teachings, they should sit together and brainstorm about the issues faced by city residents. Unnecessary tours and visits are wastage of tax payers’ money. 

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali 

Can’t enjoy on public expense

Whether its religious trip or study tour, both need money, which comes from the state exchequer. Being elected representative doesn’t give councillors unbridled powers to use taxpayers’ money in whatever manner they think fit. It’s time councillors disclose what they do on such trips, what is benefit of such jaunts and how city residents benefit from it. Rather, councillors of the cash-starved Chandigarh MC should concentrate on issues in their respective wards and solve these at the earliest. Councillors must pay from their pockets for trips undertaken by them. The authorities concerned must ban such tours, which don’t yield any results except draining the state exchequer. 

HS Gill, Chandigarh

The recent tour of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation councillors to a gurdwara in Leh was based on religious sentiments. It is quite obvious that when you go to some place, you also visit  popular tourist spots in the vicinity during free time.  

Rajesh Kalia, Mayor

If councillors are so religious, they should have gone on the Leh tour on their own expenses. Why did they spend so much funds of the cash-starved Municipal Corporation. The councillors did not even have proper approval for the tour from the UT Administration.

Kamaljeet Panchhi, advisor, FOSWAC

I think it’s not worth it. Instead of celebrating, why don’t we give food and clothes to the homeless? People should do some charity or help poor on Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Parkash Purb to serve the humanity. Then God will be happier and people too because seva is everything.

Raman Basra, postgraduate student

The MC has no funds for the city. Still the Administration is  allowing wasteful expenditure. There should be an authority to keep a check on councillors’ action and they should be made accountable for the consequences. Leh trip  expenses must be recovered from councillors.

Harman Sidhu, postgraduate student

Councillors used hard-earned taxpayers’ money for the Leh tour. The money could have been put to a better use for residents of the City Beautiful. Also, I feel that any public servants should not be officially connected to a particular religion. It will help in maintaining secularism.

Manik Kamra, Sector 36 resident