Jalandhar: Why no headway in development projects under Smart City, councillors ask MC officials

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

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Jalandhar, June 8

Councillors raised the issue of failure of MC higher officials to carry out works under the Smart City project during the General House meeting here on Wednesday. The meeting was held at Red Cross Bhawan. Out of 80, only 53 councillors were present and no strong voice from the opposition took part in the meeting.

Almost every councillor questioned MC officials as to why there was no headway in development projects under the Smart City Mission. The questions, however, were not put directly to MC officials as it seems that the tradition of asking officials face to face is not there anymore. The Mayor announced that in a week, a special meeting on the Smart City projects will be held where anyone can share their problems.

However, MC Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma was not present in the meeting and the councillors expressed that they wanted to share the problems with her. Apart from Smart City projects, the issue of streetlights was also raised by many councillors.

Some Congress councillors tried to protect Mayor Jagdish Raja by saying in front of everyone in the meeting that Smart City projects did not come under the Municipal Corporation. Mayor saab jo smart city di gall kr rahe ne, ohna nu dasso ki tuhada kinna role hai. Tussi sirf ek member ho (Mayor sir, please explain your role in the Smart City to those who are complaining that no work was being done. You are just a member and you cannot do anything). Also, a smart city and the Municipal Corporation are different when it comes to implementation of a certain project,” said councillors like Balraj Thakur.

The councillors also demanded an inquiry into the Smart City project by the Vigilance Bureau. Nirmal Singh Nimma, another councillor, alleged that the former CEO of the Smart City project who was not in the city anymore should also be quizzed and booked.

Councillor Onkar Tikka asked the Mayor if the MC Commissioner had made some new policy where she does not approve any project. “Jado vi officers nu kaho kisi kamm baare, oh kende hai, commissioner toh puchlo, I just want to ask if she has formulated a new policy wherein she wouldn’t allow any work to get started,” he said.

Dog sterilisation project pending

The project under which sterilisation of thousands of dogs was to be done was declared pending. The councillor from the Rama Mandi area, where a dog pound exists, said every dog from other wards was taken to the dog pound which was creating problems. “There is a rush of dogs in the area,” the councillor said. This led to argument among the councillors.

Light goes off during streetlight issue

When councillors were expressing their anger over non-functional streetlights in the city, lights went off and there was darkness in the hall. This led to mocking of the Mayor by the councillors as they said, ‘Mayor saab, eh dekhlo, edda hi sara shehar andhere vich dubeya hai’.

Other issues

Sewerage issue, poor water supply, piles of garbage everywhere, no city bus services and non-completion of several projects were some of other issues that were discussed with the Mayor.