Oppn gears up for House meeting on February 4

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 28

After a gap of almost five months, a House meeting of state’s largest Municipal Corporation would be held on February 4.

The opposition councillors are planning for the first House meeting of 2019 as they blame authorities for ignoring issues of their wards.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) councillors are going to conduct a meeting to plan for February 4. Leader of Opposition in the house and SAD Councillor from ward 46, Harbhajan Singh Dang, said: “We will hold a meeting of the SAD councillors within next 2-3 days. We may also conduct a joint meeting of the SAD and BJP councillors to form a strategy for the House meeting. Our councillors are worried as no development is being carried out in their respective wards,” said Dang.

The issue of overflowing sewage in outer areas, broken roads, poor condition of parks, encroachments, uncovered garbage dumps and others are yet to be resolved. “It is a matter of concern that the civic body failed to pay attention to the problems being faced by people. We will raise these issues in the upcoming House meeting,” Dang further said.

Councillors of the Lok Insaaf Party claimed that they would ask the authorities as to why the development works in their respective wards are being delayed. LIP Councillor Arjan Singh Cheema from ward 40 said: “Finance and Contract Committee had earlier announced Rs 1-crore councillor quota for development works in each ward. But, no penny has been spent in our ward since the formation of the current House. Even, House meetings are not being organised every month. We would raise issues of our wards and city in the meeting.”

Cheema said residents generally complained about contaminated water as the water supply and sewerage pipes are leaking from different locations.

Meanwhile, residents also pinned hopes on the House meeting so that their grievances can be resolved timely. Sukhwinder Singh of the Guru Ravidas Youth Sports and Welfare Club, Dhandari Khurd, said: “The overflowing sewage water is getting collected in a park near a tyre factory in the area for a long time but no action has been taken. A vacant land in Dhandari is also turning into garbage dump. We want that our elected representative must raise these issues in the MC House meeting.”

Notably, the last House meeting was held on September 4, 2018. Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said they had fixed House meeting on February 4.