MC bypasses ex-Adviser''s order

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 31

In a bid to "impress" new UT Adviser Vijay Kumar Dev, officials of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation have bypassed former UT Adviser KK Sharma’s directions issued in 2013 in which he had discouraged the installation of paver blocks in the city.

The MC has already spent nearly Rs 40 crore on laying paver blocks in different parts of the city during its current tenure from 2011.

At a meeting of the coordination committee on July 2, 2013, attended by former UT Adviser KK Sharma, former Mayor Subhash Chawla, MC Commissioner Vivek Partap Singh and others, KK Sharma had asked the MC to discourage the use of "normal paver blocks" in the city. He had rather encouraged "green paver blocks" keeping in mind environmental concerns. Later, the MC had issued directions in this regard. However, on February 19, UT Adviser Vijay Kumar Dev, during his visit to Sector 33, had directed MC officials to install paver blocks on the V4 internal road from the Sector 32-33 roundabout to the Sector 33-34 roundabout.

Instead of informing the UT Adviser about the 2013 decision on paver blocks, the MC officials brought an agenda in this regard at the MC house meeting today which states, “The worthy Adviser to the Administrator inspected Sector 33 during the safai abhiyan. During the inspection, the Adviser directed to fix paver blocks on the V4 road to improve the aesthetics of the area and to facilitate pedestrian movement. Accordingly, an estimate of Rs 63.76 lakh has been prepared."

As the agenda came up for discussion, former Mayor and Congress councillor Subhash Chawla said on the Adviser’s directions, the MC had bypassed the former Adviser’s directions, who had discouraged the use of paver blocks. Chawla, who was also part of the July 2013 meeting, said a comprehensive policy should be made on paver blocks as in some areas, these were installed on a 6-foot-wide area while in others, these were laid on a 12-foot-wide area.

However, Senior Deputy Mayor Rajesh Gupta said it was a long-pending demand of residents and paver blocks should be installed. Finally, MC Commissioner Vivek Partap Singh deferred the agenda and directed the officials to prepare a policy in this regard and only then bring such agenda items. MC Chief Engineer Mukesh Anand said they brought the agenda not only because of the Adviser’s visit but the area councillor was also pursuing the matter for the past two years.

Environment concerns

Environment experts say indiscriminate use of paver blocks will lead to reduction in recharging of groundwater. Water will also not reach the ground and it would affect the green area of the city.

Paver blocks were first installed in 2003

Paver blocks were installed for the first time in 2003 in the Sector 19 market. There were no funds allocated for the installation of paver blocks at that time. The MPLAD Fund was sanctioned for the purpose. Gradually, demands started pouring in from all markets. In the subsequent years, funds were allocated in the annual budget.