MC commissioner walks out of meeting
Chandigarh: MC commissioner Amit Kumar walked out of a meeting called to discuss allocation of
ward development funds
after a heated exchange over the issue of unpaid salaries to employees of the civic body.
During the meeting, Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi raised the issue of unpaid salaries to sewage workers for the last four months. The commissioner responded by saying that the issue was being addressed. However, when BJP councillor Kanwarjeet Singh Rana also flagged the issue, the commissioner left the meeting saying that it was not the MC house and the meeting had been called to discuss ward development funds.
Kumar said, "I responded to the issue of salaries to employees. The only agenda of the meeting was ward development funds. After replying to the question of salaries, I left the meeting as I had to attend another meeting."
Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said the same thing. "The meeting was called only on the agenda of ward development funds. The commissioner left as he had to attend another meeting," she said.
Ward development funds: Rs 25 lakh to be allocated
The mayor convened a meeting of all councillors to discuss how essential development work could continue despite financial challenges.
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During the session, she announced allocation of a ward development fund of Rs 25 lakh per councillor.
The fund is aimed at addressing basic developmental needs of each ward, including infrastructure upkeep, civic amenities, sanitation improvements, and other essential services. Acknowledging the ongoing financial crunch faced by the MC, mayor Babla emphasised the importance of judicious use of available resources to ensure that residents did not face any disruption in core civic services.
She urged all councillors to prioritise key issues and work in collaboration with officials to execute the development works efficiently.
"This fund is a step toward empowering local leadership to address ward-level issues swiftly and effectively. Despite financial constraints, we are committed to ensuring that the basic development needs of all city wards are met," the Mayor stated.
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