All-India mayors' council pushes for more powers
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Panchkula: The 115th executive council meeting of the All India Mayors' Council took place in Panchkula, hosted by mayor Kulbhushan Goyal. The two-day national conference saw participation from over 45 mayors from across India, who gathered to deliberate on the evolving challenges of urban governance.
Discussions focused on the powers of mayors, the pressure of growing urban populations, implementation of government schemes, and the need for stronger institutional frameworks.
During the press briefing, the council reviewed outcomes from the Dewas conference, introduced the new executive body, and emphasised the formation of state-level organisations. Indore mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav shared insights into the city's acclaimed cleanliness and development efforts.
Umashankar Gupta, former minister and general secretary of the council, highlighted the need for a uniform law to empower mayors nationwide.
He noted that although a committee had submitted a report to the central government, progress stalled due to administrative changes.
A resolution to enhance mayoral powers will be passed and sent to the central government. The event was attended by mayors from cities including Burhanpur, Kanpur, Ayodhya, Bilaspur, Faridabad, Haldwani, Aligarh, Lucknow, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Gurugram, Rohtak, Ambala, and others, marking a significant step toward strengthening urban leadership across India.
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1 2 Panchkula: In the wake of Panchkula's poor performance in the latest Swachh Survekshan rankings, the municipal corporation has swung into action to address the city's cleanliness crisis. A meeting of all party councillors was convened on Wednesday, chaired by mayor Kulbhushan Goyal, to discuss urgent measures for improving solid waste management and restoring the city's image. One of the key decisions taken was to enhance the existing door-to-door waste collection service, which currently covers only 61% of the city, as per national survey data. The councillors agreed to expand this coverage and invest in additional waste carts and collection vehicles to handle the growing volume of waste more efficiently. Importantly, the new carts will include two separate compartments to facilitate waste segregation at source — a category in which Panchkula scored just 20%, its lowest mark in the survey. The meeting also focused on setting up dedicated facilities for processing horticultural and general waste, aiming to reduce the burden on landfills. To streamline waste management and improve infrastructure, the MC will explore closer collaboration with the Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority (PMDA) and Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), especially in areas that fall under their jurisdiction. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brain tumor has left my son feeling miserable; please help! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo Goyal stressed the need for cross-party cooperation and active involvement of residents and local businesses in maintaining cleanliness. He said the administration is committed to turning things around and outlined a detailed plan that begins with providing dedicated space for segregation in waste carts, making it easier to separate wet and dry waste at the source. Measures to increase both waste collection and processing capacity were also discussed. Congress councillor Salim Dabkouri voiced concerns about the lack of infrastructure, stating that while councillors are ready to ensure public participation in their wards, the MC must first improve the segregation and collection facilities. The overall focus of the meeting was to strengthen Panchkula's waste management ecosystem, reduce pressure on landfills, and ensure a better showing in future Swachh Survekshan assessments. City Stood At 219th Rank Panchkula recorded its worst-ever national ranking of 219 in the '50,000 to 3 lakh population' category in the Swachh Survekshan, the results of which were announced on July 17. The city also suffered a major setback in the Haryana state rankings, plunging from second place in 2023 to a distant 22nd in the 2024 survey.
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Time of India
All-India mayors' council pushes for more powers
1 2 Panchkula: The 115th executive council meeting of the All India Mayors' Council took place in Panchkula, hosted by mayor Kulbhushan Goyal. The two-day national conference saw participation from over 45 mayors from across India, who gathered to deliberate on the evolving challenges of urban governance. Discussions focused on the powers of mayors, the pressure of growing urban populations, implementation of government schemes, and the need for stronger institutional frameworks. During the press briefing, the council reviewed outcomes from the Dewas conference, introduced the new executive body, and emphasised the formation of state-level organisations. Indore mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav shared insights into the city's acclaimed cleanliness and development efforts. Umashankar Gupta, former minister and general secretary of the council, highlighted the need for a uniform law to empower mayors nationwide. He noted that although a committee had submitted a report to the central government, progress stalled due to administrative changes. A resolution to enhance mayoral powers will be passed and sent to the central government. The event was attended by mayors from cities including Burhanpur, Kanpur, Ayodhya, Bilaspur, Faridabad, Haldwani, Aligarh, Lucknow, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Gurugram, Rohtak, Ambala, and others, marking a significant step toward strengthening urban leadership across India.
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Time of India
Panchkula parking contractor misses ‘final notice' deadline, continues ops
1 2 Panchkula: The parking contractor, who has been served a 'final notice' on the long-pending dues, will continue to operate the paid parking lots in Panchkula, at least for the April 15 deadline, the municipal corporation (MC)had issued a 'final notice' to the contractor, directing him to clear the pending licence fee or face contract MC officials told TOI that of the approximately Rs 1 crore pending amount, the contractor paid only about Rs 20,000 after being served the notice, apparently to save his job. The corporation seems to have bent, for reasons best known to it, and did not proceed with the termination as it had claimed at the time of serving the 'final notice'.During the MC house meeting held in March, it was resolved that the contractor should clear the amount by April 15, or else the contract would be Congress councillors had even threatened to close the paid parking lots in the markets themselves if the payment was not made by April 15. They accused the BJP-led MC of deliberately not acting against the contractor. However, as May approached, the opposition councillors were nowhere to be seen and remained silent on this issue. Meanwhile, the BJP-ruled MC seemed to have given yet another breather to the agency, as notices failed to recover the pending licence fee after to this, during a meeting of the revenue resolution committee of the MC in Nov last year, it was decided to cancel the contract if payment was not made. Nearly two months later, the contractor managing parking lots in sectors 8, 9, and 10 paid part of the total amount, ie, Rs 55 lakh, to the corporation to save his job. However, about Rs 1 crore was still on the issue, SK Nayar, president of the Citizens' Welfare Association, Panchkula, said, "When visitors to the markets are paying the parking fee to the MC, what stops the contractor from paying the licence fee for operating these spaces? The MC giving new deadlines every time shows it is not serious about recovering the amount and raises serious questions about the working of the MC. Why should he be allowed to continue operating if he is defaulting on fee? Who will be responsible if he runs away without making the payment?"When TOI contacted Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal, he said, "He has submitted some amount, and officers are seeing what is to be done next."MC commissioner Aparajita said, "After being issued the notice, he submitted Rs 20,000 and has requested to continue operating, assuring that he will clear the entire amount by Nov when the contract ends. He has given a representation in this regard to the mayor, who is looking into it."The MC remains elusive about the time period of the notice and the exact total amount the agency has to DeadlinesNov 2024: Revenue resolution committee of MC in Nov last year decided to cancel the contract if payment was not madeMarch 2025: MC house sets another April 15 deadlineMay 2026: Pending amount still not cleared; no action taken
