The Times of India 26.10.2010
Wiser, councillors talk about MC staff ACRs
CHANDIGARH: The second group of UT municipal councillors returned from a study tour of Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, only to raise some contentious issues like the mayor getting the power to write annual confidential reports (ACRs) of MC officials and drawing a comparison with the cost of laser fountain set up there.
The councillors pointing out that the mayor of Thiruvananthapuram has the power to write ACRs even though this was not the case in Chandigarh. Not just this, a laser fountain proposed to be set up in Sector 17 is expected to cost over Rs 3 crore even though Thiruvananthapuram MC has done it with only Rs 60 lakh.The ACR issue had generated much heat last year during the tenure of Kamlesh as mayor. She had demanded that she too should be allowed to sit in judgment for MC staff, invoking strong criticism from the officials. As a local body election was being held in Thiruvananthapuram, the visiting councillors also observed that there was higher reservation for women candidates and this too should be replicated in Chandigarh.
A delegation of the BJP-SAD and nominated councillors have already submitted a complaint to UT against the MC authorities for spending crores on the installation of a mega laser fountain in Sector 17.
Referring to a similar project of a laser fountain in Kerala, the councillors said it was installed at a cost of Rs 45 lakh only. They also questioned the MC authorities on the exorbitant cost ‘ Rs 3.75 crore ‘ for setting up the laser fountain. The letter also stated that similar projects were being executed on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis in Tamil Nadu. They alleged that the terms and conditions drafted for the laser fountain were designed to favour a particular company.
The councillors had gone to Kerala (Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram) to study implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment, matters related to welfare of woman and children, development of SC/ST, study maintenance of roads, drainage system, and functioning of public health centres. One group of councillors had returned from the study tour to Gangtok-Kolkata earlier this month.
Controversy had arisen after the mayor raised the issue that the tour should be postponed as elections were scheduled in Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin.
