During RMC’s general body meeting
Raipur, February 23, 2011
The Opposition BJP at RMC has strongly objected the ruling Congress party’s proposal of handing over the gardens of the city to the private hands for maintenance and operation under public private partnership (PPP) method. Some of the Congress corporators including independents too had expressed their displeasure over this proposal. When the proposal was tabled in the municipal’s general body meeting (GBM) as agenda 5 on Wednesday, the BJP rejected it demanding amendment.
The leader of BJP corporators Subhash Tiwari said where the people would go for recreation along with their family members if all the private players operating the gardens would charge entry fee. “This is not fare. The people usually go to gardens in the morning and evening hours on daily basis and for picnic in the weekends. These people comprise all sections of the society, especially kids from impoverished class. If entry fee would be charged then where will they go?” asked Tiwari.
He further said the BJP would not allow the RMC to sell the gardens to the private players. “Why need of commercialisation of the gardens? If the municipal really want to earn profit from gardens and parks then it should select a few like – Gandhi Udyan, Moti Bagh, Collectorate garden, Anupam garden and must spare all other gardens in the residential areas,” he said.
Tiwari also sniffed conspiracy over the RMC’s PPP offer for gardens and said the transparency should be maintained.
The Congress corporator Satnam Singh Panag sought information regarding entry fee and said the proposal to provide space in one corner of the gardens for canteens or restaurants should also be informed in detail to the House. He further asked about the number of gardens listed for implementation of the proposal.
The BJP corporators’ whip Sunil Bandre asked about the area fixed for canteen in garden.
Another Congress corporator Lakhwant Singh Gill asked about the measures to be adopted to maintain transparency in maintenance and operation of gardens.
In her reply, the president of RMC’s Horticulture department Asha Israel Joseph informed that the listing of gardens would be commenced soon and assured the House that if the Opposition would suggest any change in the proposed format then the ruling party would certainly make necessary amendments.
Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak too said that the decision to give gardens to the private hands was taken only to maintain them properly for public convenience. For this, she said the private firms or organisations can play significant role, she added. Later, the House passed this agenda with BJP objections.
House adjourned over corruption, additional water bill
Mayor & corporator Govind Mishra lock horn on sanitation issue
Raipur, February 23, 2011
The RMC’s general body meeting (GBM) started on Wednesday with commotion and protest by Opposition BJP on civic issues. The House remained uproarious throughout the day and only six out of 35 agendas were passed till 8 pm when Speaker Sanjay Shrivastava adjourned the proceedings till Thursday 10 am.
The GBM started about an hour late at 12 pm but the discussion over agendas began after lunch at 3 pm. The Congress did not face much resistance from the BJP in evolving consensus in the House on first six agendas, but the Opposition launched a tirade against the ruling party while discussions on agenda 7 which was on Rs 11.76 crore-work-plan to solve makeshift water crisis in coming summer.
The BJP raised the issue of additional billing of water tankers in the last summer. The leader of the BJP corporators Subhash Tiwari demanded from Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak to inform in detail about the additional bill of Rs 50-60 lakh that was submitted to the municipal for water supply in different parts of the city. “The bill indicates that the water was supplied through tankers even after completion of the term of the work order,” he said.
Sniffing corruption in the entire episode, Tiwari demanded probe on additional billing.
Defending his party, the MiC member Gyanesh Sharma said the additional billing was need of the hour and it was even common during former Mayor Sunil Soni’s tenure. He said if the probe committee would be formed then it would also investigate the additional billings of BJP’s five year term under Soni’s leadership.
Tiwari said the BJP did not fear any probe and consented over the inquiry into the additional billing issue for the past six years.
The Mayor announced that the probe panel would be constituted to investigate into the issue for which she asked from Tiwari to suggest few some names from his party for panel members.
Meanwhile, the independent corporator and former MiC member Govind Mishra intervened and said all the corruption cases should be disclosed pointing towards similar episode in sanitary works while he was the president of RMC’s Health and Sanitation department.
When the Mayor said Mishra should provide evidence to the House, the latter said he had handed over all proofs to her earlier. He alleged that Mayor herself was involved into corruption. The Mayor, in turn, blamed Mishra for being involved in corruption and said he tendered his resignation because he feared to be exposed.
When the duo locked into heated exchanges, the Speaker adjourned the House till Thursday morning.
Earlier, the House passed agenda 1, 2 and 3 on Integrated Development of Small and Medium Towns (IDSMT) plan, agenda 4 on proposal to allot 53 vacant houses out of 948 constructed in Kanshiram Nagar to the municipal staffers, agenda 5 on implementation of PPP method on maintenance and operation of gardens and agenda 6 on tenders to be invited for water and energy audit for Raipur city’s water supply system.
Highlights of general body meeting (GBM)
Speaker arrived late
The RMC’s GBM started one hour late from its scheduled time 11 am as Speaker Sanjay Shrivastava could not reach the House timely on Wednesday.
BJP corporators were absent
At 12 pm, when the Speaker reached the House, only Congress and independent corporators were present while all the BJP corporators did not come and stayed outside. Later, they entered the House after national anthem.
BJP blamed Mayor for no development
All the 29 BJP corporators followed their leader Subhash Tiwari while entering the House and kept on sloganeering against the Mayor terming her major hurdle in development of the capital city.
Unique protest
To protest against Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak, the BJP corporators adopted unique method and wore big posters which contained slogans and critical remarks against her.
Posters contained civic problems
The posters prominently contained strictures like - Mayor is apathetic towards people’s problems, no action plan has been made to deal mosquito menace, project of starting 100 city buses in the city is delayed due to her resoluteness and she is imposing excessive tax on the common man, her party is not even sparing the empty plots and has brought them under tax net.
Posters in House against Municipal rules: Dubey
The independent corporator and MiC member Mrityunjay Dubey raised his objection before the Speaker through a letter indicating that bringing posters in House is against Municipal rules and the BJP corporators should be directed to put their posters out of the House. He warned that if the BJP corporators would not obey the Speaker’s orders then next time he and other corporators would also bring posters criticising state government’s policies.
Uproar in House over confirmation of last GBM
The BJP and independent corporators created scene over confirmation of the agendas passed in the last GBM. When OP Mishra, secretary, RMC Secretariate was reading the proceedings of last GBM for confirmation, the BJP and independent corporators including Congress corporator Satnam Singh Panag raised the issue of revised advertising rates of LCD screen at Sharda chowk and sought information from the Mayor whether the rates had been reduced after amendment or not. In the last GBM, the MiC had proposed to increase the rent of the LCD by 50 percent from Rs 500 per sq ft to Rs 1000 per sq ft annually. The independent corporator and MiC member Mrityunjay Dubey too urged Mayor to clarify whether rates had been hiked by 20 percent (i.e. from Rs 500 to Rs 750) as agreed by all corporators or not.
Badhte Kadam deceived RMC: Mayor
Mayor said the social organisation Badhte Kadam deceived the municipal on its campaign to catch stray cattle. She informed the House that Badhte Kadam had entered into unconditional contract with the RMC to catch stray cattle gratis but later it started demanding land from the civic body. However, when the municipal denied providing any land to this organisation, it stopped the campaign immediately, she said.
Prafulla Vishwakarma felicitated
The deputy leader of BJP corporators Prafulla Vishwakarma was felicitated by the Speaker, Mayor and leader of Opposition Subhash Tiwari for being appointed as vice chairman of Raipur Development Authority (RDA). The Congress corporator Lakhwant Singh Gill urged Vishwakarma to play significant role of coordinator between the RMC and RDA.
BJP to Cong: Why GBM being conducted after six months?
The BJP corporators gheraoed the Speaker and shouted slogans against the ruling Congress seeking reply from it regarding conduction of GBM after six months gap. They also raised slogans against Congress corporator and MiC member Gyanesh Sharma who made failed attempt to explain about the delay in GBM.
Independent corporators staged dharna
Demanding from the ruling Congress to first discussion on development works of wards before discussion on agendas, the independent corporators Govind Mishra, Prem Birnani, Deenbandhu Singh Thakur and Pardesi Ram Sahu staged dharna entering in the well and by sitting on floor. The BJP corporators supported the four independents and demanded from the Speaker to announce a time slot for discussion over developmental issues of wards.
Mayor: No discussion on agendas for two hrs, shame!
Mayor blamed the BJP and independent corporators for non-cooperation with the ruling party to start discussion over the agendas and stalling the House proceedings for about two hours from 12-2 pm by shouting slogans and creating scene. She said the opponents neither maintained the decorum of the House not respected the Speaker while protesting. She also indicated that the precious time of the House was being wasted by the protestors over baseless issues. She said even the time of civic officials who had taken leave from Census works to attend the GBM was not considered by the opponents during their protest. She announced in the House that her party was ready to discuss over the ward issues but after discussion over agendas according to the tradition of the municipal corporation. The BJP and independent corporators went berserk over Mayor’s some of the statements and they entered in the well demanding apology from her.
Dissenters targeted Mayor
The dissenters who either did not get MiC seat or were removed from the team let no stone unturned in targeting Mayor over different issues. The for MiC member Lakhwant Singh Gudda who had himself resigned from MiC membership in mysterious conditions and posed silence in the last GBM, suddenly looked vocal and could not help spewing venom against Mayor and her policies. The independent corporators Govind Mishra, Deenbandhu Singh Thakur and Prem Birnani who too were part of the MiC earlier tried to grill the ruling party over civic issues. Another Congress corporator Satnam Singh Panag who did not get MiC berth expressed his annoyance by persistently demanding clarifications from his own party over public-oriented projects.
Mayor lost her mental balance: Vishwakarma
Objecting Mayor’s blunt remarks on the BJP and independent corporators for stalling the House, the deputy leader of BJP corporators Prafulla Vishwakarma said she had lost her mental balance owing to which she was using unparliamentary language. He said the Mayor should have actually tried to placate the angry corporators by giving appropriate reply but she rather made provocative statements against them which were hurting. Vishwakarma’s tirade against the Mayor infuriated the Congress corporators who entered in the well and demanded apology from him. Later, the Congress women corporators also handed over a letter to the Speaker urging him to ensure that no corporators should use derogatory language against any female corporator in the House.
No comments:
Post a Comment