Politics over Rs 125-crore grant to Chandigarh MC intensifies

Politics over Rs 125-crore grant given to the Municipal Corporation (MC) has intensified with Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla considering convening a special meeting of the MC House to pass a resolution on thanking Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria for approving the amount.

The meeting is being planned amid the Opposition attack, accusing the BJP-led MC of not improving the financial condition of the civic body and terming the grant meagre. They have demanded a white paper on the MC’s financial health over the past 10 years.

The Mayor has criticised the members of the Congress-AAP alliance for their stand over the grant. The grant is a significant step toward improving the city infrastructure, she said, adding that she expected all Opposition councillors to attend the special meeting and thank the Central Government and the Administrator for their support to the civic body.

She said both the AAP and the Congress were not interested in the city’s development and the politics over everything.

Vijay Pal Singh, president of city AAP, described the claims by the Mayor and the BJP over the grant as “misleading and an attempt to confuse the public”. He said the Rs 125-crore package released to the Municipal Corporation was 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, he claimed.

He also targeted the BJP’s rhetoric and political publicity over the grant. The BJP spread rumours of Rs 92 crore and later Rs 328 crore grant, offering “sweet treats”, while, in reality, such amounts never materialised. He alleged that the V3 road-transfer agenda was a ploy of the BJP to shirk civic responsibility.

The president, Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee, HS Lucky, demanded that the MC immediately issued a comprehensive white paper on its financial health over the past 10 years.

He said during the Congress tenure, the MC maintained a fixed deposit of over Rs 500 crore, ensuring fiscal stability and ability to fund developmental projects. In sharp contrast, the Corporation’s financial condition has now deteriorated to such an extent that it is compelled to transfer its core assets to the Chandigarh Administration in order to survive.

He said that the recent Rs 125-crore grant was originally earmarked for power purchase, but after the privatisation of the power sector in Chandigarh, it remained unutilised. These funds have now been reallocated for developmental purposes only.

Cong demands white paper on fiscal health

City Congress president HS Lucky has demanded that the MC should immediately issue a white paper on its financial health over the past 10 years. He said during the Congress tenure, the MC maintained a fixed deposit of over Rs 500 crore, ensuring fiscal stability and ability to fund developmental projects. The recent Rs 125-crore grant was originally earmarked for power purchase, but after the privatisation of the power sector in Chandigarh, it remained unutilised.