Rare show of solidarity at Mussoorie MC meeting

Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, December 3

Municipal Council president Manmohan Singh Mall and several ward members, who have been at loggerheads with Mall over various issues, today united over extension of the contract period for the management of a ropeway trolley to private contractors during a council meeting here.

Ward members Vinod Semwal, Ramesh Bhandari and most of the other members said as the agreement of the existing contractors was ending on December 31, it was necessary to extend it until the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) that had been assigned the task to renovate and install a new ropeway trolley begins the work.

Manmohan Mall said the MDDA had prepared a detailed project report and once that is approved the exercise to buy various equipment needed to run the facility would begin. The council members showing solidarity on the issue cleared the proposal of extending the contract of the contractor until the MDDA takes over the renovation work. The contractor had paid Rs 1.38 crore annually to the council so far and if the contract is extended he would have to pay 25 per cent extra for the remaining period.

However, the decorum was soon vitiated as ward member Shashi Rawat and Manmohan Mall entered into a heated argument on some issues.

Shashi Rawat raised the issue of reckless spending on fuel purchase for MC vehicles. She demanded the log book of every vehicle and said the amount spent on fuel did not conform to vehicles movement. The MC president said Shashi should sit with the officials concerned and sort out the matter before raising the issue at the council meeting.

Another ward member Kuldeep Rawat raised the issue of delay in the construction of an animal birth control centre and a garbage segregation unit near the IDH building. Manmohan Mall said the animal birth control centre building was ready but as doctors were yet to be appointed and medical equipment arranged, it would take a few more months for the centre to function properly. On the segregation unit near the IDH building, he said the road leading to the segregating site was not yet ready due to paucity of funds. A plan was afoot to give the segregation work to a social welfare organisation for garbage disposal.

Ward members Jasvir Kaur, Bharosi Rrawat and Virendar Panwar attended the meeting.