Kalia bats for 5-year term for city Mayor

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 3

Less than two months before his tenure comes to an end, Mayor Rajesh Kalia today batted for a five-year term for the first citizen.

“A one-year tenure is too less for a Mayor. By the time one understands the functioning of the corporation, it is time for the new Mayor to join in. Due to this, various development works remain held up as we are not able to exercise control over officials. They also try to find ways to evade us as they know the Mayor will go soon,” Kalia said while addressing a gathering of the Chandigarh Residents’ Associations Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) today.

“We had earlier written to the Home Minister in this regard. We hope something comes out of it soon,” he said. Unlike neighbouring cities of Panchkula and Mohali, the civic body in the city has a strange structure under which a new Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor have to be elected every year. The three posts are to be elected by the house members comprising councillors, who have a five-year tenure, and an ex officio member — MP.

A former Mayor said on condition of anonymity that this could be done at the level of Parliament only if the local MP took interest. “Neither the previous MP nor the current one has taken it up. If the Mayor’s tenure is fixed for five years, there will be direct elections. Perhaps, the past and present MPs feel it could pose a political challenge to them in the future.”

Mayor credits SHO with his success

Mayor Rajesh Kalia, during a CRAWFED event, credited Inspector Baldev Kumar, SHO of the Sector 34 police station, with his success.

“I used to be a ragpicker like my father. Baldev encouraged me to join politics. I earlier used to be naughty (he perhaps referred to cases filed against him prior to his becoming the Mayor), but today I have reached here,” he said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader hogged the limelight in January when he rose to become the Mayor.