Sector-dividing roads in bad shape, cash-strapped civic body clueless

The local Municipal Corporation (MC) has found itself in a Catch-22 situation over the maintenance of V-3 roads, the stretches separating sectors, under its jurisdiction. While the councillors rejected an agenda for handing over these roads to the Chandigarh Administration, the MC has failed to get funds for their maintenance, leaving the residents in the lurch.

With the MC facing a scarcity of funds, an agenda was brought before the General House in a meeting on March 25 to hand over V-3 roads to the UT Administration, but the councillors rising above the party lines rejected it.

When the agenda was discussed in the General House, MC Commissioner Amit Kumar apprised the members that V-3 roads had not been recarpeted for the past three years. He said earlier too, the maintenance of V-3 roads was transferred to the Administration and later given back to the MC. He said the civic body had to work on two aspects — generate revenue and reduce the expenditure for which best efforts were being made. He said the V-3 road network should be transferred to the Administration in view of the financial condition of the civic body as it was very difficult for the MC to incur such a huge expenditure.

On the other hand, a majority of councillors were of the view that the MC should not transfer its rights to the UT.

A councillor said the MC would have to transfer its staff if the work of recarpeting of V-3 roads was transferred to the Chandigarh Administration. He said earlier, the staff had not received their salaries for the past four months due to financial crunch in the MC. Later, the civic body arranged funds on its own and paid the salaries. They were totally dependent on the MC for their bread and butter, the councillor said.

Councillors are of the view that a dedicated fund should be demanded from the Administration for these roads.

Hardeep Singh, a councillor, said the Chandigarh Administration must release funds to the MC for the road recarpeting work. Saurabh Joshi, another councillor, said the recarpeting of roads was not carried in his ward even as a tender was floated two years ago.

Mayor Harpreet Babla has already raised the issue before the Chief Secretary of the Chandigarh Administration and demanded funds for road recarpeting. She had told the Administration that the MC was responsible for maintaining approximately 1,860 km of roads, which came to almost 60% of the total road length in the UT. Additionally, the MC was also maintaining roads and streets in 22 villages under the MC limits.

Baljinder Singh Bittu, president, Federation of Sector Welfare Associations (FOSWAC), said the condition of roads had been deteriorating day by day. He said the UT Administration must release more funds to the civic body. He added, “However, if the Administration is not releasing funds, the roads should be given to it. Why should people suffer?”

RK Garg, president, Second Innings Association, criticised the decision of the councillors for not handing over V3 roads to the Administration. He said the councillors must take decisions in the interests of the city residents.

Chandigarh