Chandigarh MC general House meeting: AAP, BJP councillors spar over location of 50-bed hospital - Hindustan Times
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Chandigarh MC general House meeting: AAP, BJP councillors spar over location of 50-bed hospital

By, Chandigarh
Jul 01, 2022 03:07 AM IST

While BJP’s agenda proposed the construction of the hospital in Ward 14, AAP’s agenda demanded that it be brought up in Ward 15; both zones fall in Dhanas

Even as all development proposals were passed unanimously during the Chandigarh municipal corporation general House meeting on Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors got into a confrontation over the agenda of setting up of a new 50-bed hospital.

AAP and BJP councillors arguing in the well of the Chandigarh MC House on Thursday (Keshav Singh/HT)
AAP and BJP councillors arguing in the well of the Chandigarh MC House on Thursday (Keshav Singh/HT)

Two separate table agendas were brought up for the House’s approval. While the BJP’s agenda proposed the construction of the hospital in Ward 14, AAP’s agenda demanded for it be brought up in Ward 15, both of which fall under Dhanas.

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AAP councillors stormed the House’s well, stalling proceedings for more than an hour, as they alleged that BJP-led MC was shifting the proposed hospital from an AAP councillor’s ward to a BJP councillor’s one.

Meanwhile, the BJP councilors claimed that vacant land was earlier available on a plot earmarked for a gaushala, plans for which now had become redundant as the milk colony in Dhanas has been converted into residential houses.

Councillors of both parties had written to the mayor demanding the construction of the hospital in their ward.

Meanwhile, Congress councillor Nirmala Devi demanded the construction of the hospital in Maloya.

The discussion soon turned turning into a ruckus. Trying to pacify the situation, mayor Sarabjit Kaur said the final decision will be taken by the administration, and it will examine all three sites. AAP councillors demanded a vote, but both agendas were finally deferred.

Agendas approved

The House approved the agenda for widening the Sector 14/25 dividing road from T-junction 23 to Dhanas village. The single-lane road will be widened to four-lane road. A rotary will also come up near Chitkara school for better traffic flow. The project also includes construction of a cycle track, pedestrian path on both sides and slow carriage way on one side.

The 500-metre project will come be carried out at a cost of 2.90 crore and take three to four months for completion. It is likely to start after the monsoons.

The road coming from the 14/25 rotary is four-laned. But, it abruptly turns into a single-lane road. Lots of traffic enters the road from Dhanas and it leads to frequent traffic snarls.

A small oval shaped rotary is also given by CAUT at the junction near Chitkara school and Dhanas road to regulate the traffic coming from PGI side and Udyog Marg.

The House also approved the purchase of 3,269 twin-coloured bins for neighbourhood parks, green belts and fixing of twin bins at a cost of around 2 crore.

Re-carpeting of various roads and parking in Industrial Area Phase-1 was also approved. Similarly, the agendas to reconstruct existing PCC tiles along the V-6 Road in Ram Darbar and repair of damaged footpath on various roads in Manimajra also got the House’s nod.

Special repair and renovation of community centres in Dadumajra Colony, EWS Colony Dhanas and at Sarangpur village was also approved.

Congress, AAP corner BJP over waterlogging

With the Chandigarh MC’s tall claims of monsoons preparedness falling flat, the issue of large-scale waterlogging rocked the general House meeting on Thursday.

Attacking the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)-led MC for its failure to make adequate preparations, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress councillors stormed the house’s well and a heated argument ensued for almost an hour.

Mocking the MC efforts at preventing water logging, AAP councillor Prem Lata said that one day’s rain had created ponds across the city. Lata, while taking a jibe at MP Kirron Kher, the mayor and BJP councillors, said, “Instead of going for boating to Sukhna Lake, come to my ward in Sector 35 and do boating there.” She flashed a paper boat at the BJP councilors while making her point.

Notably, just a day earlier, MC had claimed that more than 85% road gullies were cleaned in preparation for the monsoon. “The wide-scale water logging has exposed the MC,” said Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi.

The councillors also demanded Kher’s resignation and raised slogans against her while standing in the well of the house. They also demanded fixing of responsibility and action against negligent officials.

MC chief engineer NP Sharma, said, “The city’s sewerage and storm water drainage system can handle 20-30 mm of rainfall in a short span, and in such conditions, it takes only 30 minutes for water to be cleared. There was 68.2mm rain from 8 am to 11 am on Thursday, which took longer.”

MC commissioner Anindita Mitra said that MC is in the process of upgrading and expanding the capacity of the sewerage and drainage system. She added that MC has been persistently cleaning and repairing road gullies for the past three months.

Later, in a press statement, an MC spokesperson stated, “To cope with the situation, the staff of 18 flood control teams drained out water from some low-lying areas by using pump sets/suction machines.”

MC chief orders chargesheet against SDO

MC commissioner Anindita Mitra, at the House meeting on Thursday, directed officials concerned to chargesheet sub-divisional officer Angrej Singh following a complaint by AAP councillor Anju Katiyal.

Katyal said, “Sewerage work in the EWS colony of Sector 32-C had not been completed for six months. I called a public meeting and requested the SDO to attend it. Despite assurance, neither he nor the junior engineer turned up and they kept the public waiting. However, executive engineer Vijay Premi came later to save face.”

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