In fact I am neither in favour of administrator nor the municipal corporation as I consider the administrator as a white elephant and the M.C. as white ant which are eating up major chunck of Chandigarh exchequer, the tax payer money. Being in Chandigarh since 1954 have seen Chief Commissioner who was capable of handling all the issues and Chandigarh flourished during his tenure. Overlapping of work by Chandigarh Administration and the M.C. made the city beautiful as confused city. So far as the manifesto of the political party or the individual, in the M.C. election is concerned? I am of the view that the manifesto should be considered as legal document and whosoever failed to implement it should be sued in the court of law. People of the ward forget the promises made in the past 5 years and does not compare with the present manifesto as to how many promises made by the candidate and out of which how many fulfilled.
In the present election BJP come up with election manifesto which promises fire volleys and put the congress on heals by promising citizen charter to ensure timely completion of work to check corruption wave and corruption free administration, good parks, community centre and hygienic living conditons, licenses for rehri workers, lal dora extension and regularization of houses beyond boundary wall and to debar nominated councilors from voting right. BJP also commented that the congress in the past 10 years fail to fulfill its promises. Why BJP has not opted to sue them in the court considering congress manifesto as legal document if the congress really does not fulfilled its manifesto? Actually all political parties published public frustrations in the manifesto just to attract voters but are not serious to implement. Old manifesto is picked up every time in the new manifesto just like \"Old wine in a new bottle\". The political parties are churning out the old agenda for every election just to make it appear voluminous. In fact the both prominent parties do not have a vision for city problems. They failed to fulfill for the last 10 years.The project files have virtually become shuttle cock between the Chandigarh Administration and Municipal Corporation.
In fact the municipal corporation elections should not be based on the policitical parties rather the candidate who is local and capable enough to deliver the local issues. Now what ever the political parties have promised in the manifesto for example good parks, hygienic conditions, street lights, roads, community centres, playway etc.etc. Why the councilor claim as their own achievement when these tasks have already been taken up by the administration to get the heritage status for Chandigarh and part of the development. But councilor will claim without any efforts? In every ward before the election there should be open debate keeping in view their previous manifesto and let them say how many promises they have met and why others not? Then the people/voters of the ward should decide. There should be accountability of the candidates and the political parties. So that in future they may not make false promises.
Being general secretary of the Residents Welfare Association (Regd.) Sector-48, I asked the candidates few questions:-
1. Chandigarh Administration has collected Rs.250/- out of Rs.750/- at the time of allotment of land to the socities as development charges. Where the money lying and what they did for the last 10 years. Society management is managing the development work/roads/electricity etc.within the societies at their own?
2. 90% of the societies are still hanging in air for completion certificate. Every time building branch raises some or the other objections. Why councilors do not raise their issue for one time settlement?
3. In summer times socities goes dry without regular drinking water and the conditions of top floors are the worse.
4. Why societies are not given at par status with the marla houses and the housing board flates where so many relaxations have been given and the societies are deprived off these benefits inspite of the fact that the land belongs to the societies itselves where as the marla houses and the housing boad flates does not have roads and street lights of their own?
5. And if the councilors representing society\'s flates can do nothing for the societies, can not amend their bylaws then why the society residents should vote for them?
But unfortunately none of the candidate has the concret answers but just
promises. The issue of commercial and residential parking hanging in air. Sitting councilors have not mooted out even single project in the house. During the congress regime in the past decate only one commercial multilevel parking in sector-17 and residential parkinglot in Sector-19 and Sector-47, while no BJP councilor, made a demand for community parking in their respective wards?
Same is the case with sanitation proper collection and disposal of garbage system in the city and Dadu Majajra processing plant continue to be a sick unit. For cleaniness the councilors could only suggested stringent againt the irregular visit of sweepers in their respective areas. Nothing concreat has been done for additional drainage system and regular cleaning and de-silting of drains to tackle water logging during rains. Surprisingly, none of the councilors have taken up the matter in the house. Similar is the case with the proper lighting system especially in the villages and resettlement colonies. Southern sectors are the worst example for non-functional of street lights resulting snaching incidents. Many small scale projects are pending for the past 5 years and astonishingly none of the political party manifesto speaks about it? Regarding Mani Majra Master Plan was formulated in 2001 and 500 acres land is lying vacant for the approvel of primary schools in pocket-6, sports complex, hospital in pocket 8, college in pocket 9, shanty nagar, janta nagar, subhash nagar and pipliwala town rehabilitation projects for the ousters in pocket 10. Extention of M.C.building, water harvesting projects are also pending since 2004. Allotment of fish market was proposed in 2007 and subsequently 12 booths were constructed in Sector-41 transferred to M.C. But flopped auction forced to M.C. to allot them through lease which is still pending with Chandigarh Administration. Foundation stone of Food Street in Sector-48 is still waiting to be constructed.
The fate of number of projects is the same without any accountability.
Kulbhushan Kanwar
General Secretary,
Residents Welfare Association (Regd.)
Sector-48, Chandigarh.
# 738 Sector-48-A, Chandigarh. Cell: 98159-35035
I wish to highlight a few burning issues which are being overlooked for a long time.
- All elected Councilors must display their Mobile No. as well as their email ID. This is considered most important to enable the residents for contact. These should be included in the web site of MCC.
- Areas in front of boundary wall of the houses/ Flats are a Govt. land which has been encroached upon and used as Personal/ Private area. Such areas must be cleared and parking allotted to residents who do not have parking space. This will solve parking problem to a greater extent.
- Collection and disposal of household garbage is the responsibility of MCC who is cleverly shunning the responsibility. Residents are not supposed to pay for this. Presently residents are paying for this, which is not correct.
- There is lack of cleanliness in the Southern Sectors.
- Storm water drainage system is poorly designed and is inadequate to contain the heavy rainfall. As a result roads get damaged frequently.
- The roads of Chandigarh are of Class 3 Standard. There is a need to improve the roads with plastic waste, rather than recarpetting every six months thereby decreasing the plinth of the houses. If no heed is given the time is not far off the rainwater would enter the houses.
- Low water pressure is a perennial issue. The over head tanks never get filled up. More so residents have installed their own pumping system to push water to the over head tanks. They have spent lot of money for such installation and also paying for the electricity to run their motors. This is unjust and uncalled for.
- Satish Dadwal
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by: Mr. Kulbhushan Kanwar, e-mail : kulbhushankanwar@yahoo.co.in. and Mr. Sateesh Dadwal,
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