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Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Opposition boycotts mayor tea meeting over poor sanitation and waste management in Chandigarh
1 2 Chandigarh: The opposition parties in the municipal corporation — Congress and AAP — boycotted the tea meeting hosted by mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla on Friday. While the mayor organised the gathering to mark Chandigarh's recognition in the Swachh Survekshan, opposition leaders criticised the move, citing poor sanitation and the unresolved issue of legacy waste at Dadumajra. The city received a three-star rating despite applying for a seven-star Garbage Free City certification, largely due to missed deadlines in clearing the waste dump. AAP leaders condemned the celebration, stating, "When city roads are broken, areas are waterlogged, people are drinking unsafe water, and toxic leachate from Dadumajra is entering residential areas, holding celebrations is an insult to public pain. " They also pointed out that the city's previous high ranking came under AAP mayor Kuldeep Kumar, and accused the BJP of wrongly claiming credit. Congress leaders echoed the criticism, with councillor Gurpreet Singh saying, "It is painful that the city is struggling with sanitation and road issues, yet BJP is celebrating. Moreover, Chandigarh has been removed from the main cities list in the Swachh Survekshan." Congress also noted that the invitation to the tea meeting was received very late. The meet was attended only by BJP and nominated councillors. Mayor Babla congratulated sanitation workers, officials, and citizens for their efforts. Key action points discussed included intensive cleaning drives in back lanes and inner colonies, enhanced door-to-door waste collection, strengthened monitoring of public spaces and waste hotspots, and citizen awareness campaigns and feedback initiatives.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Chandigarh: AAP boycotts mayor's ‘hollow' Swachh Survekshan tea, slams 12% power tariff hike
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday hit out at the city administration on two fronts: boycotting a mayor-hosted tea gathering to celebrate Chandigarh's second place in the national Swachh Survekshan (cleanliness survey) rankings, and lodging strong objections to the 12 per cent power tariff hike approved by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC). The AAP said the BJP mayoral candidate was wrongfully claiming credit for the Swachh Survekshan rankings, achieved under former AAP mayor Kuldeep Kumar, and that the celebrations are being done 'amid broken roads, waterlogging, unsafe drinking water, and toxic leachate from Dadumajra entering residential areas is an insult to public pain'. 'We stand with citizens struggling with roads, water and toxic waste, not with those holding hollow celebrations,' the party said in a statement issued by state media incharge Vikrant A Tanwar. Separately, AAP leaders led by the party's city president Vijaypal Singh protested the JERC-approved 12 per cent power tariff hike during a public hearing in Sector 10, submitting a memorandum to the commission's chairperson. They called the hike 'a direct assault on public interest' and said privatisation of the profitable electricity department had turned into 'a blunder.' The AAP pointed out that the erstwhile government-run department posted Rs 258.85-crore profit in 2020–2021, but its private operator, Chandigarh Power Distribution Ltd (CPDL), has now projected Rs 158.0-crore revenue gap for 2025–26 and losses of Rs 982 crore over the next five years, all without an independent audit. The party also alleged a decline in service quality since privatisation, citing more outages, inflated bills, arbitrary disconnections and poor grievance redressal. 'People are paying more for worse services — this is robbery, not reform,' Singh said, demanding an immediate rollback of the hike, an independent audit of CPDL, a public performance review, and at least 200 free units for domestic users.
India Gazette
11-07-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
AAP Delhi State President slams BJP-led Delhi administration for politicising Kanwar Yatra
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday criticised the BJP-led Delhi administration for politicising the sacred Kanwar Yatra by defunding long-standing community-run camps and redirecting funds to BJP-backed and affiliated organisations. Addressing a press conference, senior AAP leader and Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said, 'Every year, we supported all Kanwar camps--irrespective of their political affiliations--by arranging tents, lights, sound systems, furniture, fans, coolers, music systems, and stages. The Kanwar committees only had to focus on 'seva' and managing the prasad distribution. This model ran smoothly for years. I can say with full responsibility that it never mattered whether a Kanwar committee was aligned with Congress, BJP, or AAP--our government helped everyone equally.' Claiming to have exposed the policy shift, he stated, 'The BJP government has first declared that they will no longer provide tents, lights, or sound directly. Instead, they claimed they'll give money. This created confusion and anxiety among Kanwar committees--how much will be given? When will it be given? Even during a meeting held at the Secretariat, ministers used derogatory words about the Kanwar committees and the camps themselves. It was said that money would be transferred to their accounts, but now when the time has come to set up the camps, no one has received anything. The committees don't know how much will come or when.' Calling out the BJP for targeting non-affiliated camps, the AAP Delhi State President revealed, 'Now, BJP leaders are being asked to form new committees, register societies, open bank accounts, and only then they'll be funded by the government. Delhi's taxpayer money, government funds, are being withheld from those Kanwar committees that have served for 10, 15, 20 years. Instead, the money is being directed to newly formed committees run by BJP leaders.' Saurabh Bharadwaj cited a specific instance, 'Our MLA Kuldeep Kumar has been running a Kanwar camp at Kondli Pul, near Sankhwar Hospital, for the last six years. Every year, the government provided tents, lights, and sound. This was likely Delhi's biggest Kanwar camp, as it is located right at the entry point to the city and serves thousands of pilgrims. But this year, due to this political vendetta, their tents were removed by police this morning (July 9). They were told their camp won't be allowed and that someone new will be assigned to set up the camp.' Elaborating more on the situation, senior AAP leader and Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar stated, 'Every year, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has made excellent arrangements for the Kanwar Yatra. From tents and lights to toilets and sound systems--everything was provided, while community organizations handled food and service for the pilgrims. This was the tradition in Delhi.' 'I've seen camps costing 25-40 lakh, especially in border areas like Shahdara where massive camps are set up 15-20 days in advance. But now, it's already the 10th July, and the Kanwar Jal is scheduled for the 23rd--just 13 days left--and not a single committee knows whether they're getting a tent or not. They're uncertain about funding, logistics, or where to get donations from. There's complete chaos,' he asserted. Kuldeep Kumar further added, 'During the meeting at the Secretariat, all Kanwar committees opposed this new policy. Minister Kapil Mishra even assured them that their concerns would be considered and this policy would not be implemented. But despite that, it has been forcefully imposed across Delhi, causing total disorder.' He shared, 'This morning, permission for a Kanwar camp that had been operating at the same spot for the last six years was cancelled and granted to another organization. I want to ask all institutions involved in Kanwar Seva and even those that organize Chhath Puja--does the BJP now want to seize control of Delhi's religious institutions too, just like they did with the ED, CBI, and Election Commission? Do only those who join BJP deserve to run these committees? If an MLA doesn't support BJP, does it mean his area won't get a Kanwar camp? This is a dictatorship. This is goondaism.' The AAP MLA stated, 'The large Kanwar camp at Kondli Pul, which served Shiva devotees for six straight years, was dismantled. And now BJP leaders are thinking to benefit their own people--by opening bank accounts, register organizations, and getting the money. This is a new channel of corruption. A new scam. We want to remind them--no one escapes the wrath of Lord Shiva. Don't invite the curse of Bholenath.' (ANI)
The Wire
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
The EC Has Cited 'Malicious Narratives' to Ask Officers to Destroy CCTV, Other Footage in 45 Days
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed state election officers to destroy CCTV, webcasting and video footage of the election process after 45 days, if the verdict is not challenged in courts within that period, in a bid to curb what it says are 'malicious narratives' using its electronic data. The poll body issued the instructions in a letter to state chief electoral officers on May 30, reported Press Trust of India. In the letter, the EC said it has issued instructions for recording various stages of the election process through multiple recording devices – photography, videography, CCTV, and webcasting during the election process. But added that such footage will only be preserved for 45 days, which is the duration within which an election petition (challenging a poll verdict) can be filed in court. "However, the recent misuse of this content by non-contestants for spreading misinformation and malicious narratives on social media by selective and out-of-context use of such content, which will not lead to any legal outcome, has prompted a review," the letter said. "If no election petition is filed in respect of a particular constituency, then the said data may be destroyed," the letter added. the Union government had amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the 1961 Conduct of Election Rules. As per the new rules, not all election-related documents would be available for inspection by the public. In February, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Union government and the ECI in response to a plea filed against the changes made to the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. The plea filed by transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj, said that the amendments place unreasonable restrictions on the fundamental right to information of voters. The matter now remains in the Supreme Court. In January 2024, the Chandigarh mayoral polls saw the presiding officer caught on CCTV cameras rigging the elections. The Supreme Court in February last year overturned the results of the mayoral polls – which had been fraudulently decided in favour of the BJP candidate – and declared the AAP-Congress joint candidate Kuldeep Kumar the validly elected city mayor. Later three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors who had jumped ship helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win elections to posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor in March. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Detained by police in Kalkaji camp, claims Atishi; Cops deny
New Delhi: Former chief minister Atishi claimed on Tuesday that she was detained by police when she went to meet the residents of Bhoomiheen Camp in Kalkaji, where a demolition is to be carried out. Denying the detention, police said, Atishi was "removed" from the spot under section 65B of the Delhi Police Act and taken to Baba Haridas Nagar police station in southwest Delhi's Dwarka. AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar alleged that Atishi was also manhandled by the area DCP when she went to the camp to protest. Police, however, refuted the allegations. Addressing a press conference later at AAP headquarters, Atishi said that chief minister Rekha Gupta claimed that no jhuggi would be demolished in the capital, but the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Delhi Police have planned a bulldozer action on Wednesday at Kalkaji's Bhoomiheen Camp. "Today, the entire area was surrounded by police and CRPF, who began forcibly evicting residents from their homes," Atishi alleged. The senior AAP functionary said the families were living in the area for 20-50 years and demanded that they also be provided with a flat in multi-storeyed DDA flats nearby. "A total of 3,024 flats were built by DDA. Till now, only 1,862 flats have been allotted. Why are the remaining homes not being given to these jhuggi residents? More than half of Bhoomiheen Camp's residents haven't received any homes. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Good News: You May Be Richer Than You Think Undo And now, their jhuggis are being demolished," Atishi said. Residents of the camp approached the court asking for homes, but their demand was opposed in court, she said, adding,She added that the HC was going to hear the matter on Wednesday. Atishi said that when AAP was in office, it was totally against the demolitions of jhuggis.
