21-05-2025
Mayor's meeting for Rs 25-lakh fund: Senior UT officials, councillors clash over pending staff salaries
Heated exchanges erupted between councillors and senior officials over pending staff salaries in a high-level meeting called by Chandigarh Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla to announce a Rs 25-lakh ward development fund for each councillor.
The meeting, intended to discuss the allocation of funds for essential ward-level development amid the ongoing financial crisis in the Municipal Corporation (MC), saw unexpected conflict when councillors raised the issue of delayed salaries for employees of the Public Health Wing.
Councillors including BJP's Kanwar Rana questioned why MC sewage staffers — who are sitting on protest at Sector 32 — have not received their pay, when the Commissioner has already said that disbursing salaries is his priority.
This prompted a mild exchange between Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar and several elected representatives.
Matters escalated when the MC Commissioner walked out of the meeting, followed by the exit of all other senior officials present.
In response, councillors also staged a walkout, leading to the meeting ending without any resolution.
However, despite the disruption, Mayor Babla reiterated her commitment to ensuring ward-level development continues uninterrupted.
She had earlier announced the allocation of Rs 25 lakh per councillor to address urgent needs such as infrastructure repair, sanitation, and civic amenities.
'This fund is a step toward empowering local leadership to tackle ward-level issues swiftly. Even in tough financial times, we must ensure basic civic services continue,' the Mayor stated, urging cooperation between officials and elected representatives.
