Even 19 years after settling down,over 5,000 residents of Army Complex,Phase II,are living without basic civic amenities. Ruing the indifference of the Mohali Municipal Council,the residents,the majority of whom are ex-servicemen,met Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday to apprise him of the hell-like living conditions. The complex,developed by the Army Welfare Housing Organisation in 1990,is spread over 7.2 acres adjoining Madanpur village. Led by Mohali Municipal Councils senior vice-president Harman Preet Singh Prince,the delegation called on the CM through his advisor Dr D S Cheema. In the representation,the president of the Residents Welfare Society Lt Col Kulbir Singh (Retd) wrote that though although the residents have been paying all the charges levied by the civic body ever since their settlement but the MC had neither done any development work or maintained the infrastructure in their complex. The dilapidated roads,blocked stormwater drains,non-functional streetlights and heaps of cow dung speak volumes about the conditions here, wrote the residents,stating that stagnant water in potholes and heaps of garbage are proving to be breeding ground for mosquitoes. The residents pointed out that though they were registered as voters in the MC voters list and had exercised their franchise in last MC polls in 2006 but whenever they meet the MC officials,they were told that the complex was not under their control. When MC president Rajinder Singh Rana,who represents the area in the civic body,is unable to take care of his own ward,how can he do justice to the entire city? questioned Prince,who sought immediate removal of Rana from the post. While Rana was unavailable for comment,MC EO Amana Kumar Goel said the civic body had adopted a resolution to take over the complex on December 30,2008,but the state government had not approved it. Till we do not get the nod,the MC cannot do any work there, argued the MC EO.
