‘Den of corruption’: Councillorsblast Chandigarh MC over encroachments
At monthly House meeting, councillors, across parties, unitedly attack Chandigarh MC officials for not tackling widespread encroachments
Cutting across party lines, councillors on Tuesday fiercely criticised the municipal corporation officers, accusing them of transforming the civic body into a “den of corruption” and deliberately not tackling encroachments in the city.
In response, during the monthly MC House meeting, deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, who is also the acting MC commissioner, vowed zero tolerance for encroachments and directed the MC officials to remove illegal vendors within 15 days. He also instructed officers to document all encroachment-related issues raised by councillors.
BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi condemned MC’s enforcement department, labelling it a “municipal corruption adda”. “Earlier it was on monthly basis. Now, this ‘adda’ is operating on daily basis. The sad part is that vendors who are paying regular fees are suffering, while illegal vendors are proliferating in markets across the entire city due to the rampant corruption in the enforcement department that does not remove them,” he alleged.
AAP councillor Damanpreet Singh said, “Money is being taken from illegal vendors in the Sector 22 Shastri Market. The enforcement team, which is supposed to be there until 7 pm, leaves at 6 pm. It is difficult to even cross the road near the market.”
Another AAP councillor, Prem Lata, questioned, “Why can’t the timings of the enforcement team be changed from 12 pm to 8 pm, instead of 11 am to 7 pm? Illegal vendors are mushrooming in most markets and they operate from 8 pm till 11 pm. The officers are hand in glove with them.”
Citing an example of a scrap dealer in Ward Number 35, BJP councillor Rajinder said, “The scrap dealer challenged me, saying no one can remove him from this place as he pays ₹15,000 per month to MC officers.”
Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi complained that the issue had been raised and debated in the House several times, but to no avail. “It is time to formulate a strict policy. The condition is so bad in most city markets that in case of a fire, the lives of hundreds would be at risk,” he highlighted
Notably, the enforcement wing comprises 103 staff members, including two inspectors, 12 sub-inspectors, nine police personnel and 80 labourers. Having 12 vehicles, the wing conducts five anti-encroachment drives every month. Currently, the wing is headed by additional commissioner Isha Kamboj, with the post of superintendent lying vacant for two years.
MC commissioner apologises to AAP councillor
During the meeting, acting MC commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh apologised to AAP councillor Jasbir Singh Laddi for attaching a copy of a complaint against him in the House meeting agenda.
Laddi said it was done deliberately to tarnish his image. “Several complaints are lodged every day at MC. But former MC commissioner Anindita Mitra attached only a copy of a complaint against me in the agenda,” he alleged.
The complaint came from workers maintaining parks. They had alleged that the local RWA, which was under Laddi’s control, was paying them wages lower than those received from MC.
Addressing Laddi, Singh said, “We are all working as team members and on behalf of all officers, I apologise to you.” He directed the officers not to repeat the mistake, adding that as public figures, several anonymous complaints were lodged against them.
As Laddi proceeded to term Mitra “an officer with a low intelligence quotient (IQ)”, Singh corrected him, “We should not use such words for officers who have worked so dedicatedly in the civic body. Instead, we should thank her for her good work.”
Even senior deputy mayor Kuljeet Sandhu said councillors should avoid mentioning names of officers during House meetings.
Resentment over Independence Day flag hoisting ‘diktat’
Laddi, along with BJP councillor Rajender Sharma, also raised the issue of not being allowed to hoist the national flag in their respective wards during the Independence Day celebrations without the permission of the deputy commissioner.
Laddi claimed that when the event was scheduled to be held at the local community centre, the official concerned told him that a permission from the deputy commissioner was required. He even named a booking branch official, stating that on his directions, the junior engineer removed the chairs from the venue, preventing him from hoisting the flag there.
Sharma added that he faced a similar issue, noting that he had been hoisting the flag for many years, but this time he was refused permission.
Both councillors, nonetheless, hoisted the flag at their respective venues.
Clarifying, the MC commissioner, who is also the deputy commissioner, stated, “No one requires permission to hoist the national flag.”
He also apologised to the councillors, acknowledging that this was an unwarranted issue and promised to inquire whether it was an unintentional mistake or a deliberate act.