Gurgaon: Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM) has allegedly cleared development works worth Rs 390 crore without holding a meeting of its finance and contracts committee (F&CC). Instead, the list of projects was circulated among members for their signatures, the committee members said.“A meeting was not held. The list of works was sent to us, and we signed it. The purpose of this committee is that meetings should be held so that these works are discussed before approvals,” said Sunita Kumari, an F&CC member. She added that the committee had met only once since it was elected in Aug last year.The works, recently announced by mayor Inderjeet Kaur Yadav, cover sports infrastructure, community facilities, sewage treatment plants, pond redevelopment and other civic amenities.The approvals have raised questions over how the proposals were scrutinised and approved. Section 25 of Haryana Municipal Corporation Business Bye-laws, 2009, provides for monthly F&CC meetings to consider development works and purchases, with meetings permitted twice a month in cases of exigency.Senior deputy mayor Praveen Yadav questioned why the corporation’s financial decisions did not appear to undergo the same level of deliberation as those at higher levels of govt.“The chief minister himself reviews proposals placed before the high-powered purchase committee, which deals with projects above Rs 10 crore. In the F&CC, projects amounting to more than Rs 1 crore and up to Rs 10 crore are taken up, while the municipal commissioner can approve projects up to Rs 1 crore. When the chief minister and senior state officials discuss projects before granting approval, our corporation does not even discuss them,” he said.Mayor Inderjeet Kaur Yadav did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment despite repeated attempts.A senior MCM official, however, said approval through circulation of the agenda was as valid as approval at a meeting. “It is the mayor, as chairperson of the committee, who decides whether a meeting should be convened. The works were minor and could have been approved without discussion,” the official said.The approvals include a cricket stadium in Naurangpur village costing Rs 1.9 crore, an indoor and outdoor stadium in Fazilwas worth Rs 9.7 crore and a 3-million-litre-per-day sewage treatment plant in Sikanderpur Badha costing Rs 7.5 crore.In ward 1, Rs 20 crore was approved for an open sports complex on Chandu Road, while a community centre in Garhi village was allocated Rs 9.5 crore. In Ward 2, works worth Rs 46 crore were approved, including a multipurpose building in Harsaru village costing Rs 9.9 crore and the reconstruction of an indoor stadium there for Rs 5 crore.The approvals come amid a prolonged confrontation between the mayor and the senior deputy mayor. On Aug 4, a scheduled MCM House meeting was abruptly cancelled after a dispute between the two escalated into a political and legal confrontation. Both sides filed police complaints accusing each other of abuse, intimidation and misconduct, with allegations of assault and threats also emerging.The F&CC scrutinises municipal expenditure and contractual proposals, giving members an opportunity to examine project costs, assess priorities and question the rationale for proposed works before approvals are granted.
