Chandigarh Mayor’s term review: High on promise, low on action
The richest councillor of Chandigarh with assets worth ₹45 crore got down to business with the swag and style of an entrepreneur only to find himself caught in stalemate with the UT administration and municipal commissioner, leaving much to be desired on the ground as his term sputters to an end on January 16
When 39-year-old Anup Gupta of the Bharatiya Janata Party was elected mayor by a single vote last January, he promised to pull Chandigarh out of its garbage mess, introduce smart parking in all 89 lots, cut water charges and develop villages in the Union Territory.
The richest councillor of Chandigarh with assets worth ₹45 crore got down to business with the swag and style of an entrepreneur only to find himself caught in stalemate with the UT administration and municipal commissioner, leaving much to be desired on the ground as his term sputters to an end on January 16.
While Gupta takes credit for approving the integrated waste management plant at Dadumajra and smart parking plan, the implementation of which will take months, his critics argue that both projects were “forcefully approved” after suspending the opposition from the municipal corporation’s general House meetings. Opposition Aam Aadmi Party councillors even accused the BJP and rival Congress of making money from the Dadumajra garbage dump project.
Reviewing his performance, Gupta said: “The MC is in the process of floating tenders for the integrated waste management plant and a temporary wet-waste processing plant will be operational this month. 85% of the legacy waste at Dadumajra has been bio-mined. Besides, developmental works were initiated and completed in villages of the UT. The recycle reduce reuse (RRR) concept and Re 1 store were a hit. Five sewage treatment plants were upgraded and we won awards for best water infrastructure. I came up with the idea of a paperless House.”
Ideas on paper
Gupta says many of his ideas could not be implemented due to politics.
His initiatives to double the parking fee for four-wheelers registered outside the tricity of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, and offer free parking to two-wheelers and electric vehicles as a Diwali gift to residents didn’t find favour with UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit.
He had proposed to double the monthly honorarium of councillors, but the cheer across party lines was short-lived as the proposal was shelved with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections.
Run-ins with administration
Gupta had in June launched a tirade against the UT administration, terming its policies on electric vehicles (EV), floor-wise sale of properties, and penalty on building violations “anti-citizen”.
He had objected to the administration’s meddling in MC affairs and said officers can’t run the city without taking elected representatives into confidence on public issues. “When bureaucrats make decisions for the public without consulting elected representatives, it leads to tussles,” he said.
In May, the administration was accused of giving him a cold shoulder during the inauguration of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Heritage Centre.
Face-off with commissioner
Though his ties with MC commissioner Anindita Mitra were strained, mayor Gupta openly criticised her in August when she banned new tenders for developmental projects due to paucity of funds after ring-fencing ₹282 crore for waste management on the National Green Tribunal’s orders. The mayor believed the situation could have been handled without those orders and sought ₹25 crore as grant.
The fight worsened during the November 29 House meeting when Gupta questioned Mitra about the cancellation of a tender for mechanised sweeping at Manimajra besides seeking a status report on the multi-crore parking scam and questioning the reinstatement of employees involved in corruption cases and issuance of financial orders without consulting him.
BJP councillors admitted the tussle with the commissioner led to the stalling of his initiatives but added he took most decisions without consulting them. “He wanted to take all the credit,” one of them said, requesting anonymity.
Gupta denied any development work was affected despite difference of opinion.
Oppn members unimpressed
AAP councillor Prem Lata disagreed with the mayor, claiming development took a back seat. “He couldn’t resolve the lal dora and water connection issues. His focus was only political,” she said.
Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi said, “He called an all-party protest against the UT’s EV policy but no BJP councillor turned up. Though Gupta came alone, his motive was political. The House had passed the slashing the sewerage cess from 30% to 10% for 2023-24, but the UT administration reduced it to only 25%. He couldn’t use his influence.”
