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Time of India
30-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Councillors give thumbs down to PPP model for Chd community centres
1 2 Chandigarh: The elected municipal councillors of the Chandigarh municipal corporation have unanimously rejected the proposal for operating and maintaining community centres through public private partnership (PPP) mode. The councillors have firmly said that they will not allow any privatisation or third-party management of these community centres. This matter is scheduled for discussion and approval at the upcoming monthly general house meeting of the MC on Tuesday. The rejection comes at a critical time when the MC is facing severe financial difficulties, which had prompted officials to propose the PPP management model. The unanimous rejection by councillors raises questions about alternative management strategies for these community centres. Initially, during the March general house meeting, officials had proposed a pilot project involving five community centres under the PPP mode. The meeting concluded with instructions to bring the agenda again with the addition and deletion of other community centres by taking consent of area councillors in this regard. The agenda for Tuesday's house meeting said, "The agenda regarding the operation and maintenance of existing Community Centres, Sector 37, 38 (West), 40, 49, and 50, Chandigarh, on Public Private Partnership (PPP) Mode was placed before the General House in its 347th meeting held on March 25, 2025. The House deferred the agenda to be placed before the next meeting of the House, for the addition/deletion of other Community Centres on Public Private Partnership (PPP) Mode. The consent was sought from all the area councillors for the addition/deletion of Community Centres on PPP Mode. It is pertinent to mention here that none of the area councillors gave their consent for the management of Community Centres on PPP mode under their respective wards." Official records show that authorities had prepared a comprehensive list of 52 community centres, including both existing and new facilities across various sectors, villages, and colonies. This list was circulated to all relevant municipal councillors for approval, which they declined. Additional Proposals The MC is also presenting proposals for constructing new Community Centres on vacant land through PPP mode with 15-year contracts, extendable up to 5 years based on performance and mutual agreement. The planned locations include Sector 24, 51, 63, and Bapu Dham Colony Sector 26. Further proposals include dismantling and rebuilding the Sector 29 and Manimajra Thakurdwara community centres, besides modifications and management of Sector 16-based Rose Club, also under similar PPP arrangements.
Hindustan Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: AAP under fire as Oppn decries ‘opaque' development plans
Ludhiana's municipal corporation (MC) is bracing for a fiery showdown as accusations of opaque governance and procedural breaches ignite ahead of Friday's General House meeting. BJP and Congress councillors are decrying the AAP-led civic body's alleged concealment of over 1,000 development agendas, passed in recent Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) sessions. The contentious issue centres on the claim that these agendas, heavily skewed towards the West constituency, were not shared with all elected representatives, sparking allegations of favouritism and a deliberate disregard for democratic norms. The opposition has slammed the administration for not providing copies of the passed agendas to all elected councillors, as mandated under existing bylaws. They stated that only few of the agendas were highlighted during the last general house meeting. BJP and Congress leaders have alleged that this lack of transparency undermines the democratic process and raises suspicions of preferential treatment being given to certain areas. 'There is a law that mandates that every councillor should be given a copy of each agenda passed in the F&CC and TAC meetings. So far, we haven't received even a single copy. If this continues, we will be forced to protest outside the House,' said Shyam Sunder Malhotra, Congress councillor and leader of the Opposition. He warned that the party would not stay silent if the administration continued to push agendas without proper disclosure and discussion. Echoing the sentiment, BJP councillor Rohit Sikka expressed concern over the lopsided nature of the development plans. 'More than 1,000 development agendas have been approved in just three F&CC meetings, most of which relate to the West constituency. This shows a clear bias and lack of balanced planning. Number of agendas are still not provided to the councillors,' he said. He also criticised the civic body for sidelining councillors by withholding important information and moving forward without consensus. Senior leaders from both parties have called out the AAP government for what they describe as 'selective governance' and have demanded that the municipal commissioner provide complete details of all approved agendas. They argue that the manner in which supplementary items are being pushed ahead of today's General House meeting reflects a deeper governance failure and an unwillingness to engage with elected representatives. In response to the mounting criticism, mayor Inderjit Kaur defended the administration's stance, stating that hard copies of the passed agendas had already been handed over to the leader of the Opposition, while digital copies were shared with all councillors. However, the opposition remains unconvinced. With the General House meeting set to take place a Friday, a stormy session is expected, as councillors prepare to grill the administration on alleged procedural lapses and imbalanced development. Meanwhile, the local Congress unit on Thursday held a meeting for the agenda to be discussed during the House meeting on Friday.
