Four months after MC polls, Chandigarh mayor yet to form sub-panels

Four months after the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) elections in December 2021, the politically split House has yet to constitute the key sub-committees.

MC’s functioning relies on the committee system, under which various sub-panels dealing with specific subjects are formed by the mayor from among the elected councillors, with officials also added as members to guide and assist them.

While the finance and contract committee (F&CC) has the authority to approve projects up to ₹50 lakh, the 12 sub-panels have the power to sanction works costing ₹10 lakh to ₹15 lakh.

In cases involving financial implication beyond these limits or requiring policy decisions, the matter is referred to MC’s general House meeting.

The 12 committees focus on sanitation; environment and city beautification; electricity; fire and emergency services; apni mandi and day market; women empowerment; enforcement; slum colonies and village development; arts, culture and sports; roads; water supply and sewerage disposal; and house tax assessment.

“In the absence of these committees, the F&CC committee has been flooded with requests for approval of even small civic works, not allowing it to take up key policy issues,” said an MC official, not wishing to be named.

Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh said, “We have repeatedly asked the mayor for the constitution of the committees, as MC’s work is suffering in their absence. The BJP knows that if voting takes place, they will lose as the opposition has more votes, so that’s why they are delaying it.”

In the House of 35, the BJP has 13 councillors, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 14, the Congress seven and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) one. The mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor are all from the BJP.

During the F&CC constitution, the members were elected unanimously in proportion to the parties’ strength in the House. Both the BJP and the AAP have two members each, and the Congress one.

AAP councillor and leader of opposition Yogesh Dhingra claimed, “We have requested the mayor to constitute the committees multiple times, but the delay continues as the mayor hasn’t been elected legally.”

Speaking on the delay, mayor Sarabjit Kaur Dhillon said, “The committees will be constituted soon. Before that, we are waiting for appointment of the nominated councillors.”

Notably, the nominated councillors have yet to be appointed by the UT administration.