MC sends sealing notice to food civil supplies office

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 12

The Municipal Corporation has served a sealing notice on the office of Department of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs for not clearing rent dues. Giving one day to clear the dues, the MC today pasted notices on the walls of the office located on the third floor of the MC building at Sarabha Nagar.

If the department fails to pay its rent dues, the MC can seal the office tomorrow, said an MC official. In February, the MC had sent a notice to the district controller of department, asking him to pay Rs 36.35 lakh within seven days, otherwise action would be taken against the office.

According to the MC’s Rent and Lease Superintendent, the Department of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs had to pay Rs 52.02 lakh as rent till December 2018 to the civic body. The department has paid only Rs 17.52 lakh to the MC.

Superintendent of Zone D Rajeev Bharadwaj said they had served a sealing notice on the department. “If the pending rent is not paid, the office will be sealed on Wednesday. Despite a notice having been served on the office last month, the pending rent has not been cleared yet,” he added.

District Food Supplies Controller Rakesh Bhaskar said: “There is no issue but only a communication gap. We paid Rs 17.52 lakh as rent to the MC last month. We have talked to the directorate about the pending rent. If there is pendency, we will clear it.”

Civic body intensifies recovery drive

It was learnt that the civic body has also served notices on the shopkeepers running businesses from properties rent out by the MC. The financial condition of the civic body is not good. “As the financial year 2018-19 will end on March 31, the civic body has intensified its recovery drive. The shopkeepers have been asked to pay their dues at the earliest,” said an official.

A communication gap: food supplies official

There is no issue but only a communication gap. We paid Rs 17.52 lakh as rent to the MC last month. We have talked to the directorate about the pending rent. If there is pendency, we will clear it.— Rakesh Bhaskar, District Food Supplies Controller