Indian Express 09.11.2010
Councillors rue slow pace of development works in city
Khushboo Sandhu Tags : Municipal Corporation, projects Posted: Tue Nov 09 2010, 00:51 hrs
Chandigarh: The councillors of the Municipal Corporation seem to be a harried lot with most of them having complaints about work not being executed. They rue that whether it is small works such as widening of roads or laying paver blocks to bigger projects, the execution of projects is never in time.The common grouse of councillors is that execution of work takes months to start even after it has been approved. Councillor Harjinder Kaur says basic things such as lifting of garbage every day are also not being done. “After Diwali, heaps of garbage is lying in the Sector-35 market. Work for widening and carpeting in Sector 34 and 35 has been approved. Of the six sub-sectors, work is yet to start in some areas, while in the others it is progressing at a snail’s pace. There is no co-ordination in the Horticulture department. While equipment worth lakhs is being installed in parks and green belts but no effort is being made to ensure that the area is levelled,” she rues.
Harjinder adds that apart from the ward of the present Mayor, all other sectors are in a mess. Carpeting can be done during this season as during winters it would be stopped. If work is not completed now, it would linger on for months.
Another councillor Anju Beniwala rues that she has been constantly taking up the issue of construction of Sehaj Safai Kendra in Sector 19. However, nothing has been done and one of the pleas is that there is no suitable site.
The foundation of a community parking lot in the sector had also been approved, but work is yet to start. Beniwala adds that work for installing play equipment is also progressing at a slow pace.
With elections of the civic body scheduled for next year the councillors feel that the pace of projects would create hindrance for them when they go to the people to seek mandate. Councillor Rajesh Gupta opines that setting up of a Sehaj Safai Kendra in Sector 20 has been a long pending demand that needs to be fulfilled. He further said that the pace of execution of work needs to be increased.
Councillor Devinder Singh Babla meanwhile says that there is a lot of paperwork involved in approval of the projects that needs to be curtailed. The civic body should also increase the rates given to contractors and the response would be much better.The officials meanwhile rue that due to shortage of material a lot of work was slowed down. While in every House Meet the councillors approve work worth lakhs, officials have expressed their inability to start all the projects at once.
Mayor Anu Chatrath says that ward wise review of meetings of the councillors with the Chief Engineer have started from today and all the complaints would be looked into.
