Ludhiana: Councillors oppose inauguration of projects by AAP MLAs

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 26

With raising issues like low revenue generation from advertisements, poor solid waste management and missing LED street lights in city, councillors from different political parties during the all-party meeting held at the Mayor’s camp office on Saturday also opposed the inauguration of projects by newly elected AAP MLAs in their respective wards.

The all-party meeting was called by Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu to discuss the proposed annual budget for the upcoming financial year 2022-23. The agenda would be presented before the MC House at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan on March 28.

The upcoming House meeting is likely to remain stormy on Monday. Before the meeting, some councillors of the SAD, Congress and LIP raised questions about newly elected AAP MLAs inaugurating development projects in their respective wards. The matter is likely to be raised in the House meeting.

Raising objections on AAP MLAs inaugurating development works by ignoring the councillors, Ward 46 councillor Harbhajan Singh Dang of the Shiromani Akali Dal said the MLAs should not interfere in the works that got approved by the councillors. “A councillor does a lot of work to get any development project file approved. Now, newly elected AAP MLAs are inaugurating the projects which had got approved by the councillors. We will raise the matter before the MC House on March 28,” he said.

Dang said, “I had also got road works approved for an area in my ward. But, the newly elected AAP MLA got the work stopped in the area. The new MLAs are unnecessarily pressurising the contractors.”

Congress councillor Baljinder Singh Bunty levelled similar allegations against an AAP MLA for interfering in works in his ward.

Some councillors raised questions over the low-income generation from advertisements. They also raised objections as to how the budget income from advertisements was reduced to Rs 4 crore from around Rs 23 crore for the 2022-22 financial year. Meanwhile, MC Commissioner Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal said Rs 4 crore income was mistakenly written in the sanctioned budget by the Department of Local Government and they would get it amended.

A BJP leader, Inder Aggarwal, alleged irregularities in the advertisement project. He also raised questions over the role of the MC for failing to ensure waste processing at its main garbage dumping site.

Leader of Opposition in the MC House Jaspal Singh Giaspura said no action has been taken against the private company for allegedly failing to resolve the matter of missing LED street lights. The street lights are unavailable at a number of points but no steps are being taken to get the lights installed at such points, he added.

Jaspal Singh Giaspura demanded from the MC to buy more jetting machines and super-suction machines for cleaning sewerage lines in all the zones. He said the MC has Rs 52 crore available for purchasing new machinery. He said choked and overflowing sewers are major issues in the city.

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu assured the councillors of the redress of issues raised by them during the meeting.

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