Police, MC officials apathetic towards councillors, MP told

Charanjit Singh Teja
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, December 16

Councillors of the Municipal Corporation (MC), at a meeting with MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, complained that the MC officials and the police did not pay head to them. They also expressed resentment over scarcity of funds for development works.

In the wake of upcoming Lok Sabha elections, MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla had called the councillors for a tea party and discussed their issues.

According to information, more than 35 Congress councillors attended the meeting and shared their problems. Two of the councilors stated that they had to stand and wait outside the offices of police officials to meet them. The police, administration and MC officials did not pay attention to their complaints, they rued. Some of the councillors claimed that the police still heard Akali Dal leaders and ignored them.

The councillors have shown resentment over the low funding for the development. Not only MLAs, but also the MP did not issue any grant for the city. A councillor stated that even Aujla did not give any grant in the urban areas. The MC has approved the development works worth Rs 9 lakh in every ward till date, which is “insufficient”. Congress leaders, at the meeting, claimed that without initiating the development works, it would be tough to win the upcoming elections.

Taking a note of the councillors’ complaints, Aujla assured that there would be no scarcity of funds in future and “arrogant” police officials, who don’t listen to the representatives of public, would be transferred.

When connected, Deputy Mayor Younas Kumar said, “This is my fourth term as a councillor and it is my experience that every House leaves empty treasury for the next team. In the first six months, we worked hard to regularise the salaries of the employees and councillors. Under the leadership of Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, we are focusing on enhancing the revenue. We have sanctioned Rs 9 lakh for each ward for civil works. Now, Rs 3 lakh for sewerage will be sanctioned soon. CM Capt Amarinder Singh and Minister for Local Governments Navjot Singh Sidhu gave nod to more funds. Our team is dedicated for 100 per cent development of the city.”