Standoff ends, MC Chandigarh work hit

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 23

The standoff between Municipal Corporation employees and BJP leaders ended here this evening, with both parties withdrawing their police complaints. However, public dealing remained affected for two days at the MC office.

Local BJP leaders, including Gorav Goyal, and officials of the MC employees’ union met in the conference hall of the office around 4 pm and struck a ‘compromise’ in front of the SHO, Sector 17 police station.

“Both parties had lodged complaints against each other. Now, the matter has been settled amicably and we do not want to pursue our complaints,” read the letter given to the SHO.

BJP state general secretary Rambir Bhatti and MC Commissioner’s personal secretary Jatin Saini were among five persons who signed the ‘compromise’ letter.

City BJP president Arun Sood, former Mayors Rajesh Kalia, Asha Jaswal and Deputy Mayor Jagtar Singh Dhillon were involved in negotiations with MC officials for the past two days. Even after striking a deal, both sides insisted on claiming moral victory.

Rakesh Kumar, general secretary of the coordination committee between MC employees and the Administration, said: “Gaurav Goyal clarified that there was some misunderstanding with Jatin Saini, which led to this situation. So, he apologised for his mistake.”

Goyal on the other hand said: “The matter was settled amicably between both parties. There is no question of apologising to anyone.”

Public dealing at the MC office was also affected for the past two days as employees protested against the manhandling of one of their colleagues. Today, they refrained from entering the office and sat outside the office in a pen-down strike. Heavy police force and restricted entry at the gates deterred public from entering the office. The BJP, the Congress and the AAP tried to fish in muddy waters of the civic body. High drama was witnessed at the MC office when a group of state BJP leaders roughed up a staff member of the MC Commissioner’s office over a meeting with the civic body chief yesterday. One of the BJP delegation members, Gaurav Goyal, allegedly manhandled and abused MC Commissioner’s personal secretary Jatin Saini when he asked them to wait for sometime as the official was already in a meeting.

Ram Rattan, SHO of the Sector 17 police station, said: “Both parties have settled the matter amicably and withdrawn their complaints.”