Indian Express 5.11.2009
Councillors’ feet get itchy again, another study tour proposed
When it comes to proposing study tours, it is perseverance that councillors of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation live up to.
While the UT Administration has turned down the demand for such tours over the past two years, councillors have yet again expressed a desire to go on a study tour to see a live demonstration of multi-media lazer show that is proposed to be installed in the Sector -17 Plaza. This time, the destination is Mumbai. The issue was discussed in the co-ordination meeting with the UT Administration today.
During the House Meet held in August, a proposal to provide a multi-media lazer show on water screen along with ultra-modern fast action musical dancing fountain in the Plaza was discussed. The presentation was attended by a few senior officials of the Administration and Municipal Corporation.
The councillors had demanded the screening of the presentation in the House so that they could get an idea on what the show was about. But the agenda was deferred. Instead, a presentation was given where Mayor and area councillor Pardeep Chhabra were present apart from other officials.
However, the issue was discussed again during the co-ordination meeting held on October 13 where Municipal Commissioner Roshan Sunkaria aired the wishes of the councillors.
Some of the councillors, however, claim that they became aware of the demand only when the minutes of the meeting were sent to them.
“The Administration has rejected all the previous demands of the councillors for study tours. Only 19 councillors were allowed to visit Singapore, Malaysia and Bangkok. The proposed tour to Europe and a few other places was also turned down. We are not beggars that we put forth such demands that are never going to be fulfilled. Moreover, the functioning of fountains can be seen through a presentation in the MC office,” said a councillor.
Recently, the UT Administrator had rejected the study tour to Gujarat and had sought objections from the Municipal Commissioner. The demand for laptops has also been rejected thrice.
Fountain fixation
The fascination of the UT Administration and Municipal Corporation for installing fountains has resulted in fountains coming up in greenbelts, roundabouts, parks as well all entry and exit points of the city. The MC has approved two new fountains — a musical fountain for Sector 15 (Rs 62 lakh) and a Simmering Volcano Water Feature for Sector 24 (Rs 24 lakh).
There is also a proposal to installl fountains in all the 26 wards of the city. However, concerns have been raised over their maintenance. It has been seen that at places where the fountains are already installed, some parts get stolen due to which the fountains remain defunct till they are repaired.
