‘Dictatorship’: Punjab MP, residents on Commissioner ‘who asked them to plant grass worth Rs 7 lakh’

ML Sarin while speaking to The Indian Express said, “ In my opinion,  it the the personal,  arbitrary, decision of the Commissioner ( who is NOT the MC) and  that too without  taking  the elected representatives into confidence. Why hasn’t  she stopped  cricket, football, volleyball,  hockey being played in hundreds of parks. Which provision  of law, or MOU says she can supersede the decisions of the MC. She certainly acted in a fashion reminding us of  the dark days of the Emergency.  Does she deserve to hold her post. You, the citizens of Chandigarh, decide.”

A former IAS officer Sanjeev Bhatnagar reacted saying, “The reply was disappointing. I am of the view that the parks in Sector 4 have been created for the residents of Sector 4 and they have the inherent right to use the parks and maintain them. The M.C. is entrusted with a duty to maintain the parks if the residents fail to maintain the parks, but that does not make the MC– the owner in possession of the parks and the Commissioner becomes a dictator.The M.C. could come in play only when residents fail in maintenance or they ask for the service of maintenance because M.C. is no more than service provider.

“Am I thinking right and if that is so, Can we move the high court seeking relief to ask Commissioner to restore 7 lakhs rupees grass which was destroyed because of her ego, without consulting the elected municipal councillor , who infact is the only person who represents people.This is abuse of power and Commissioner should be removed,” Bhatnagar said.

Amrita Dhariwal, another resident said that “nowhere in Indian administrative history there were be a record of so many tractors and JCBs demolishing a park grass”.

“The MC commissioner flouted her own orders whereby the parks in sector 4 were handed to RWA “as is”. In a bid to quell her ego on the basis of a newspaper article, she refused to visit the park and verify facts. Nowhere in Indian administrative history will there be a record of so many tractors and JCBs used to demolish the park grass! We have photos as proof of Park maintained by MC and maintained by RWA. She should be relieved of her charge immediately,” she said.

Nitin Sarin said that “it is nothing but an ego hassle now. The commissioner is finding it hard to backtrack on her hasty and reckless decision and is defending it with ridiculous arguments.”