Jet-setting Chandigarh councillors mix study with leisure
Chandigarh, September 11
Amid controversy surrounding study tours, the MC councillors, currently on a visit to Indore and Nagpur, seem to be not leaving any opportunity slip of visiting tourist places.
Today, pictures of various councillors visiting tourist places surfaced on WhatsApp groups, wherein they were seen visiting museums, temples and other popular spots in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
They were earlier scheduled to visit Goa and Mumbai, but after sharp criticism from public, the UT Administrator had refused to give the go-head to the trip.
Even pictures of spouses of some of the councillors, including Taruna Mehta’s husband Yadwinder, surfaced, sparking a debate over whether it was a study tour or leisure trip.
The councillors maintained their spouses had gone there on own expense. However, some argued while the councillors’ spouses might have paid for the air tickets, they were sharing rooms.
In a statement, the MC said a team of councillors, led by Mayor Sarbjit Kaur and accompanied by Senior Deputy Mayor, Deputy Mayor, today visited the “Pushpkunj” floral waste plant and biomethanation plant in nearby city of Ujjain.
The Chandigarh team was welcomed by Ujjain Mayor Mukesh Tatwal, who briefed them about the best practices in the city, including the biomethanation plant, having 5TPD capacity, which generated 300 units of electricity and 1.5 TPD compost daily.
He said all major mandies and societies of the city were geo-mapped and connected to the integrated command and control centre (ICCC). The plant utilised biodegradable waste, mostly from a nearby vegetable market and adjacent colonies, and converted it into biogas, which in turn ran generators to produce electricity.
On the floral waste plant, the Ujjain Mayor briefed the Chandigarh team the plant, having 3 TPD capacity with merely Rs 18 lakh investment, had started in 2019 with 11 employees and generated a monthly revenue of Rs 1.5 lakh.
The huge quantities of floral waste generated every day in the temple town had earlier posed significant challenges of disposal for the authorities but with the support of the Mahakal Mandir Samiti, it was now being processed and ‘incense sticks’ and herbal colour were being produced there. Interestingly, this project has already been implemented in the UT.
Spouses make merry
- Pictures of spouses of some councillors, including Taruna Mehta’s husband, surface, sparking debate over whether it is a study tour or a leisure trip
- The MC, in a statement, clarified the councillors visited “Pushpkunj” floral waste plant and biomethanation plant in nearby city of Ujjain on Sunday
