RWA may have to pay fee for installing gates at entry points

Resident welfare associations (RWA) may now have to shell out money for installing gates at the entry points of their colonies as the fund-starved municipal corporation (MC) is looking at ways to generate more income.

As per the proposal, which is to be tabled in the General House Meeting on Monday, the MC can fix the fee to be collected from residents for installing gates, setting-up beat box etc on public street under the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act. The fee would also be fixed in the meeting of General House of MC.

At present no fee for installing gates but it is mandatory to take permission from the civic body before doing so. Apart from this, the MC would be tabling 21 other proposals in the meeting.

The House would also deliberate on a resolution to provide jobs to family members of two contractual firefighters, who died in the plastic factory tragedy in November 2017. As many as nine firefighters died in the plastic factory tragedy. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh and a job for one of the family members of the deceased. While jobs were provided to the family members of seven firefighters, family of two contractual firefighters— Manpreet Singh and Sukhdev Singh— are still making the rounds of MC offices.

The MC officials said that they need to get a resolution approved from the General House of MC to give permanent jobs to family members of contractual employees.

The General House would also deliberate on a proposal to install 42 static compactors for replacing open garbage dumps in the city. Static compactors are being installed at nine sites by Ludhiana Improvement Trust and other 33 sites would be covered by MC under the smart city project.

The house would also deliberate on the terms of conditions for running the static compactors by A2Z company, which is presently lifting garbage from the city. 

The seriousness of MC in banning the plastic carry bags can be judged from the fact that the MC general house has still not issued notification to ban plastic carry bags, notified by the state government in 2016. The notification, along with a few more modifications and orders passed by the state government, would be tabled during the meeting of General House.

The MC, however, is conducting regular drives to issue challans against use and trade of plastic carry bags.

With the project of modernising the slaughter house expected to be complete in a month, the House would also deliberate on increasing the fee which would be imposed for slaughtering animals in the slaughterhouse.

Few other proposals would also be tabled which include recovery of rent from the deputy commissioner’s office for running the office of sub registrar (east).

Earlier the transporters rued that the building is constructed in no- construction zone.

Other proposals include installing mobile towers at 17 sites/properties of MC and changing the name of Jalandhar bypass chowk to Dr BR Ambedkar Chowk.