Political storm over Rs 125 crore Chandigarh MC grant intensifies; AAP, Congress accuse BJP of misusing funds

Politics over a Rs 125 crore grant given to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has intensified as Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla is considering convening a special meeting of the house to pass a resolution to thank Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Governor of Punjab and UT Administrator, Gulab Chand Kataria, for approving the amount for the civic body.

The meeting is being planned at a time when the opposition councillors are attacking the BJP-led Municipal Corporation for not improving the financial state of the civic body and terming the grant meager, demanding a white paper.

Mayor Harpreet Kaur has criticised the members of the Congress-AAP alliance for their stance on the grant and said that the grant is a significant step toward improving urban infrastructure.

She said that she expects all the opposition councillors to attend the special meeting and thank the central government and the Administrator for their support to the Municipal Corporation.

She said that both the AAP and Congress are not interested in the city’s development and are politicising everything.

On the other hand, Vijay Pal Singh, President of AAP Chandigarh, described the claims by Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla and the BJP over the grant as “misleading and an attempt to confuse the public.”

He said that the Rs 125 crore package released to the Municipal Corporation is not a BJP achievement; rather, it is taxpayers’ money re-appropriated by the UT Administration from the Electricity Department’s ‘Material and Supplies’ head under ‘Grant-in-Aid.’

Misrepresenting this as a political accomplishment to mislead citizens is wrong. Singh also targeted the BJP’s rhetoric and political publicity. He said that the BJP spread rumours of Rs 92 crore and later Rs 328 crore, offering “sweet treats,” while in reality, such amounts never materialised.

He alleged that the BJP’s V3 roads transfer agenda was a ploy to shirk responsibility from the Municipal Corporation while claiming credit for themselves.

HS Lucky, President, Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee, demanded that the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh immediately issue a comprehensive white paper on its financial health over the last 10 years. He said that during the tenure of the Congress, the Municipal Corporation maintained a fixed deposit of over Rs 500 crore, ensuring fiscal stability and the ability to fund developmental projects.

In sharp contrast, today the Corporation’s financial condition has deteriorated to such an extent that it is being compelled to transfer its core assets to the Chandigarh Administration in order to survive.

He said that the recently released Rs 125 crore to the Municipal Corporation was originally earmarked for power purchase, but after the privatization of the power sector in Chandigarh, it remained unutilised. With approval from the Centre, these funds have now been reallocated for developmental purposes only.