Shimla MC to seek reply from SJPNL officials on France tour

Raising questions on officials of Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) for going on an exposure tour to France without informing the civic body, the Municipal Corporation of Shimla has decided to seek clarification from the officials concerned in the matter.

The Municipal Corporation will seek a reply from the officials about the permission for the tour and knowledge that they gained from it.

Taking cognisance of the issue, the Mayor has directed the officials to give their clarification to the Municipal Corporation on their return to Shimla. The MC has also asked the SJPNL to clarify “why the civic body was not intimated about this tour”.

As per the corporation, Principal Secretary (Urban Development, Town & Country Planning) and two officials of the SJPNL are on a tour to France.

Shimla Mayor Surender Chauhan said the corporation had no prior knowledge about the tour and the SJPNL officials did not inform the civic body before leaving for France.

The SJPNL is a jointly promoted company of the state government and the Municipal Corporation, Shimla, and is solely responsible for providing water and sewerage services in the state capital. “The Shimla Municipal Corporation has a 51 per cent stake in the SJPNL, therefore, if the officials wanted to go for an exposure tour to France, they should have at least informed the corporation,” he said.

He emphasised that even if they said officials had taken permission from the state government, the MC as well as the elected councillors should have also been informed about this tour.