Phagwara Municipal Corporation meeting ends with uproar minutes after beginning

The fourth meeting of the Phagwara Municipal Corporation (MC), convened on Friday to discuss key civic concerns, ended in an uproar within minutes, leaving crucial issues unaddressed.

The meeting, scheduled to begin at 3.15 pm, was expected to deliberate on faulty street lighting, defective sewerage, blocked drains, and deteriorating roads — issues repeatedly raised by residents of the city. However, the session collapsed almost immediately after commencement, when Opposition councillors began raising slogans and accused Mayor Ram Pal Uppal of ignoring their demands.

Congress councillors Sanjeev Bugga and Jatinder Vermani led the initial protest, alleging that the Mayor was adopting what they described as a “dictatorial attitude” by not allowing agenda items to be taken up for discussion.

Councillors Anita Sharma, Parminder Kaur, and Sonia Joshi also joined the protest, calling for immediate attention to basic civic grievances affecting residents across the city. The situation escalated when the Mayor reportedly left the meeting hall just four minutes after proceedings began following a heated exchange with the Opposition councillors.

In addition to raising civic concerns, the Opposition members strongly opposed a proposal to extend the municipal limits, insisting instead ownership rights be granted to 26 shopkeepers currently under the MC jurisdiction. Their demand, they said, represented a long-pending commitment that needed urgent resolution.

The departure of the Mayor and the Commissioner led to an abrupt adjournment of the meeting. With no agenda items discussed, residents’ concerns over drainage, road maintenance, and lighting remain unresolved, adding to growing frustration over the MC’s functioning. When asked, Mayor Ram Pal Uppal said, "The MC is working in an impartial manner, but the Opposition councillors, including those of the Congress, are opposing only for their publicity. They should adopt a co-operative attitude. Street light problems will be redressed by Diwali in all 50 wards of the city."