Bansal blames BJP for city’s traffic, parking problems

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 16

Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Chandigarh and former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has blamed the BJP for the city’s continuing traffic and parking woes.

Addressing a public meeting organised by the Sector 35-C Inner Market Welfare Association president, Bobby Anand, Bansal said despite the BJP being in power at the Centre and sitting MP also from the same party, the unique status of the city in the country and the world was under threat.

He said the Congress left Rs 500 crore in fixed deposits with the Municipal Corporation, but its finances had deteriorated to such an extent that from time to time it was not left with enough money to even pay salaries to its employees.

“Where has the money gone? The MC is not ready to reveal it in response to RTI applications. It has no answer to the circumstances under which the contractor of the so called smart parking in the city pocketed Rs 3.90 crore for a failed service,” he added.

State Congress president Pardeep Chhabra urged the gathering to weigh the 15 years of the Congress in the city and five years of the BJP.

The BJP MP went for hundred-odd inaugurations in the past few days before the announcement of the elections to hide her failures on all fronts, Bansal said,

Bansal also addressed members of the minorities cell of the party in Sector 28 here,

He said the centrally administered Chandigarh had suffered the worst ever neglect during the BJP regime, with the city sliding in Swachhta rankings to a shameful number 20 and in the Smart City ranking to a poor number 67 among 100 smart cities.

New initiative

• “You Matter!” “Let’s Make Chandigarh, Together, The City of Our Dreams!” This is the theme of a new personal connect initiative of the Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Chandigarh and former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. He has launched the programme to seek first-hand feedback from people to be incorporated into his action plan to make “Apna Chandigarh” “Phir Se No. 1”.