Amritsar MC den of corruption: Cong; Mayor says works upset party

Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia hit back, saying Congress councillors were “unhappy” over development works being carried out without corruption and that Opposition parties were regularly apprised of the progress.

Soni flagged garbage accumulation, contaminated drinking water, sewerage problems, non-functional streetlights and damaged roads during the protest, even as the protesters raised slogans against the Punjab Government and Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia.

He alleged that the AAP did not have a majority in the House and that regular General House meetings were therefore not being convened. “A city cannot be run by keeping the House non-functional. The Mayor must explain why regular House meetings are not being convened,” he said.

He alleged that several projects were being approved without the consent of the MC House and a high-level inquiry into such projects could reveal irregularities.

Soni also questioned the waste-management work being carried out by the firm hired for it. He alleged that sanitation services were now being undertaken at rates several times higher than Congress rule in the MC. “If such a large amount is being spent on garbage collection, why are garbage dumps still visible across the city,” he asked. He demanded that the Municipal Corporation make public its expenditure on sanitation and waste management.

Congress leaders raised the issue of the garbage dump at Ranjit Avenue and said residents had been facing problems for a long time now.

They demanded immediate intervention by the Punjab Government, Mayor and the Municipal Commissioner. Soni also demanded a complete account of the expenditure on the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project.

He sought details of tenders, payments and the present status of the project.

He demanded an impartial inquiry into alleged irregularities in the project and said the MC should clarify its position on the matter pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Responding to the allegations, Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia said the Congress had 35 councillors but only turned up for the protest.

Bhatia said councillors from the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP and AAP regularly met him, apprised him of issues concerning their wards and had their works taken up on a regular basis. “They are only doing politics because AAP is doing good work,” he claimed. He said the walled city was around 500 years old and faced certain problems, some of which would continue to persist. He said more employees had recently been engaged through outsourcing to improve civic services.

He said a contract had been awarded to RRR Solid Waste Management for lifting 550 metric tonnes of garbage daily.

“However, around 700 metric tonnes of garbage is generated in the city every day, and the existing arrangement is not sufficient to handle the entire quantity. We have floated a tender to hire another company,” he said.

He claimed that development works in the city were being carried out without corruption and alleged that this was why Congress leaders were unhappy.