Rs 15 crore paver works cleared, opposition fumes

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 27

The Opposition BJP today slammed the AAP Mayor for tabling and clearing an agenda item about paver-block laying worth Rs 15 crore at a time when the Municipal Corporation is facing the financial crunch.

Raising the matter during the MC House meeting today, leader of theh Opposition and BJP councillor Kanwarjit Singh Rana said, “There is no money with the MC and you have tabled the agenda to lay paver blocks worth Rs 15 crore. It is shameful. This is despite the fact that no tender could be floated for the previous agenda items passed over six months ago.”

“What is the urgent need for these works when the civic body has got not even a penny in its kitty? We seek a report of the current financial position before taking up these items,” added the Burail councillor.

Sharing the financial status of the corporation, MC Secretary GS Sodhi stated the MC had been assured a total of Rs 500 grant-in-aid (GIA) for the ongoing financial year under the Union Budget. Of this, Rs 244 crore has been released by the UT Administration and Rs 300 crore is the remaining balance. In addition to this, the civic body has its own receipt of Rs 460 crore against the monthly liability of Rs 60 crore.

Later, the agenda items were passed.

Clearing the air regarding regular disputes between outsourced employees and corporation-contractors, MC Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, who is the Labour Commissioner, shared, “In such cases, we should know the MC is the principal employer while the contractor has only been given the responsibility of providing the manpower. Whenever there is an issue of hiring or removing an employee, the MC should intervene so that no exploitation is there.”

Major agenda items deferred

• E-auction for advertisement rights on public toilets and connecting passages put off as councillor demanded a copy of the tender be tabled in the MC House
• Amending MoU regarding operation and maintenance of public toilets. The BJP councillors demanded ‘equal work, equal pay’ norm should apply whether toilets are run by contractors or resident/market welfare associations