Chamba: Councillors’ strike enters Day 5

Chamba, February 20

Congress- backed ward councillors of the Chamba Municipal Council and their supporters continued the protest against the civic body authorities on the fifth day and staged a sit-in outside the MC office today, expressing deep resentment over the lack of development work in their areas.

The five councillors — three elected and two nominated— launched the protest on February 15.

The protesting councillors expressed strong dissatisfaction over the prolonged neglect of development work in Chaugan, Sultanpur, Hardaspura, and Surara wards by the BJP-led municipal council.

During the protest, Chaugan councillor Khalid Mirza alleged that no tenders had been issued for development work in their wards for a long time, resulting in deteriorating conditions of roads, drainage systems and malfunctioning streetlights.

Another councillor Anju Kumari from Hardaspura ward, accused the authorities of favouritism in allocating development projects, causing resentment among the residents. She alleged that no development works have taken place in the two largest wards, Sultanpur (area-wise) and Hardaspura (population-wise), for long.

The councillors also alleged that written requests made to the municipal council have not been acted upon.

“Each time we inquire, they tell us that there are only 11 personnel allocated to work for 11 wards, making it seemingly impossible to accomplish the tasks,” said Urmila Jasrotia, councillor from Surara ward.

Tender processes that have taken place in the past two-and-a-half years have either been cancelled or not opened on time. Recently, tenders for streetlights and poles were issued, but the MC president has reportedly put them on hold, said the protesting councillors.

They alleged that the rule of the MC meeting minutes to be signed within three days was also being violated and the councillors do not get the copies of the proceedings on time. All ward councillors and their supporters warned to intensify the stir, if the authorities do not initiate development work in these wards promptly.

The protestors met Chamba Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repswal yesterday and demanded him to order a probe into the matter.

Meanwhile, Seema Kashyap, deputy chairperson of the municipal council, said that she met the protesting councillors on Saturday, but they did not heed her words. The tender processes for development works are underway in every ward and the list of these tenders could be obtained from the MC office, she added.

MC president Neelam Nayar said that there is Congress government in the state and if the councillors feel that no funds have been allocated for their wards, they can seek a vigilance inquiry into the matter. She claims that majority of development works have been carried out in the wards of the protesting councillors.