BJP councillors, Mayor lock horns at MC meet

The monthly meeting of the Shimla Municipal Corporation started on a stormy note today when BJP councillors raised the issue of the delay in the construction of an ambulance road in the Ruldu Bhatta ward.

Before the start of the House proceedings, Ruldu Bhatta Councillor Saroj Bhardwaj raised the issue of the construction of ambulance road. She said the matter was being raised in every meeting of the House, but to no avail. “People of my ward are facing a lot of inconvenience due to the lack of the ambulance road,” she said.

Mayor Surender Chauhan assured the councillor that efforts are being made to build the road, but it will take some time as the Municipal Corporation did not have forests rights in the urban areas. He said the matter was being taken up legally.

Expressing concern over the practice of pasting posters for paying guest (PG) accommodations in his ward and other parts of the town, Kangnadhar Councillor Ram Rattan said the practice was spoiling the beauty of the town. He said he had directed workers to remove these posters, but the PG owners kept pasting them again. He alleged that several PG owners were also not paying tax to the corporation. Replying to his question, Municipal Commissioner Bhupinder Attri said the MC needed to challan such offenders.

During the meeting, the Mayor said he had shared a plan with state government to have an alternative water supply source to toilets in households as well as public lavatories. He said it had been noticed that drinking water was being supplied to all public toilets in the town. “A huge amount of drinking water can be saved the public lavatories and toilets in households get alternative supply of water. For this, a separate pipeline needs to be laid across the town,” said the Mayor.