Chandigarh: The municipal corporation’s monthly general house meeting Friday turned into a political slugfest as Congress and AAP councillors cornered the BJP over two long-pending civic issues, namely the proposal for 20,000 litres of free water per household and water connections outside Lal Dora limits. Waving placards and raising slogans, opposition councillors accused the BJP of failing to secure approval for measures that were passed by the house more than a year ago but remain stuck with the UT administration.With municipal elections due in Dec, both opposition parties sought to put the spotlight on issues they described as directly affecting thousands of residents. Councillors questioned why resolutions passed unanimously by the elected house were not implemented and alleged that the BJP had failed to pursue them with the administration.Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh said the house had unanimously approved the proposal for 20,000 litres of free water for every household in early 2024 in the presence of MP Manish Tewari, but the Chandigarh administration returned it without approval. He argued that only the elected house had the authority to reject or withdraw a resolution and that any objections should have been brought back before councillors for discussion.Mayor Saurabh Joshi, however, targeted MP Manish Tewari, saying the free water promise was one of his election commitments. Joshi also cited an earlier house decision that had approved 40,000 litres of free water.AAP councillor Hardeep Singh raised the issue of providing water connections outside Lal Dora limits, claiming repeated assurances had yielded no results. Calling it a basic civic necessity, he urged the administration to clear the proposal without further delay.Agenda items cleared in haste, allege councillorsThe general house meeting continued till 7 pm, but several councillors objected to a number of agenda items being cleared after many members had already left the hall. They alleged that policy matters as well as development-related proposals were passed without detailed discussion, raising concerns over the manner in which the business of the House was conducted.
