City Mayor at the receiving end

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 16

Though the BJP has a majority in the House, the city Mayor, Asha Kumari Jaswal, was on the receiving end not from the Opposition, but from her own party councillors, during the discussion on the Budget for the financial year 2017-18 of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.

BJP councillor Davesh Moudgil said the Budget should be made with a vision, which was clearly missing from the Budget document. Moreover, there was hardly any public participation on the Budget. Only three suggestions, including that of nominated councillor Charanjiv Singh, were received by the MC, Moudgil said.

Moudgil also raised question on getting the Budget copy a day before the MC special meet on the Budget. He even said there were some amendments in the Budget during the F&CC meeting, which was also not told to the councillors.

Moudgil also pointed out that there was no fund for solar power in the Budget whereas it was Rs 10 crore in 2013, when he was the F&CC member. He also said there was a Budget allocation of Rs 2 lakh for Sehaj Safai Kendras, but it was impossible to construct even a single temporary SSK with Rs 10 lakh.

BJP councillor Heera Negi said there should be special fund for EWS houses. There are EWS houses in her ward in Sector 49, there was demand from the residents of these areas, she said. Another BJP councillor Ravi Kant Sharma said, it was strange, the MC had not mentioned how to fill the 2,144 vacant post of employees of various categories.