The Pioneer 01.11.2010
Political influence mars MCD operationsPNS | Dehradun
The Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) Sushil Kumar Sharma has directed officials of the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun to speed up work on collection of commercial taxes, checking licenses of carts and acting against unauthorised advertisement hoardings. He issued these instructions while presiding over a meeting of MCD divisional officers during the weekend.
These instructions have been issued at a time when the campaigns undertaken by the MCD for removal of unauthorised advertisement hoardings, land encroachments and other anomalies have failed to have the desired effect due to the opposition of those affected and the interference of the State Government.
It will be recalled that in the recent past the Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli tried to end the monopoly of few advertising agencies by allowing the registration of dozens of new agencies in the MCD and preventing the renewal of the registration of some agencies that had not paid their dues to the MCD.
The MCD also started a campaign against unauthorised advertisement hoardings during this time but the agencies that had earlier enjoyed a monopoly utilised their political influence to get the State Government to direct the MCD to stop its drive against unauthorised hoardings.
The anti-encroachment drive undertaken by the MCD with the city police in the Paltan Bazaar and other market areas has also fizzled out due to the political influence of the members of the business fraternity opposing the drive undertaken by the authorities.
The Mayor has directed the SSP to continue with the anti-encroachment drive in the market area irrespective of the opposition from shop keepers, but observers state that considering the political interference in the drive, it is unlikely that the authorities will be able to keep the market area clear of encroachments by shop keepers.
Apart from this, the Health Department, the MCD Health Division also undertook a sampling drive to check sale of adulterated food items during the festive season in view of the festival of Deepawali.
However, even this campaign has had limited effect in Dehradun because the results of samples collected and sent for laboratory examination will be available only after the festival of Deepawali has been celebrated.
Observers state that though the MCD is undertaking campaigns to facilitate desired level of civic sanitation, removal of encroachments and unauthorised advertisement hoardings, various factors including the interference of the State Government and general apathy of the public are preventing these efforts from achieving the desired result.
It remains to be seen whether the instructions issued by the MNA are executed effectively by the MCD.
