Contaminated drinking water supply dominates Chandigarh MC’s General House meeting

Congress councillors entered the House carrying banners and raised slogans, accusing the authorities of ignoring repeated complaints. Mauli Jagran councillor Manoj Sonkar said residents in his area were struggling for every drop of water and claimed that even the available supply was contaminated. He questioned the purpose of holding House meetings if public grievances were not addressed.

Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar said water samples collected earlier by the corporation had tested normal, but acknowledged that complaints persisted. He announced that samples would now be examined by a third-party agency, and action would follow based on its findings.

The matter intensified when the councillors raised concerns about tubewell motors frequently breaking down and not being repaired promptly. Senior Deputy Mayor Jasmanpreet Singh alleged that residents often call councillors because officials do not answer their phones. The commissioner said names of such officials should be provided and directed the Chief Engineer to suspend the officials concerned, stating that primary responsibility lies with field engineers. Jasmanpreet later clarified that the lapse might not be theirs.

The debate took a dramatic turn when Congress councillor Sachin Galav displayed two glasses — one with clear water and another resembling green tea to demonstrate alleged contamination in his area, triggering sharp exchanges and briefly disrupting proceedings.

Mayor Joshi termed reports of polluted water, including an incident in which a child allegedly died and several residents fell ill after consuming contaminated supply, “extremely shameful”. He said he had sought a detailed report within 72 hours to fix accountability and warned of strict action against any negligent official.

Apart from the water crisis, the House also discussed corruption allegations. BJP councillor Kanwarjeet Singh Rana claimed some officials were withholding contractor payments without bribes and alleged that certain officers owned farmhouses in New Chandigarh. He demanded that all officials and employees submit asset and liability declarations. The mayor accepted the proposal and directed that such details be collected and presented before the House as well as forwarded to the finance department. The councillors also agreed to disclose their assets, though some showed hesitation.

Political tensions also surfaced during the House proceedings when Congress councillors waved posters accusing AAP’s Chandigarh in-charge Jarnail Singh of breaking an alliance that allegedly enabled the BJP to secure the mayor’s post. The AAP councillors objected, leading to verbal clashes before the mayor intervened and urged members to avoid personal remarks against those not present.

Key projects cleared, including dog shelter

Despite disruptions, the House approved several development works, including Rs 41 crore for construction of parking roads in sectors 35D, 44D, 34A and 34B; reconstruction of a community centre in Sector 25D; and Rs 18.43 crore for a shelter for 1,980 dogs near the MRF centre in Sector 25 West, targeted for completion by September.

Additional projects cleared included repairs of damaged park pathways in Sector 40C (Rs 86 lakh) and Sector 40D (Rs 89 lakh), upgrading Sector 40D market (Rs 76 lakh), and purchase of computers and printers for MC branches worth Rs 1.40 crore.

However, a proposal to convert 213 free parking sites into paid parking zones was rejected after opposition from multiple parties. Commissioner Amit Kumar had suggested a one-month pilot project, but Leader of Opposition Hardeep Singh opposed it and the mayor ultimately rejected the agenda. Joshi clarified that the city would continue with its existing 76 paid parking sites.

The House also approved steps to modernise proceedings by installing screens and headphones at councillors’ seats as part of a move toward a paperless system. The commissioner has been asked to prepare estimates, and the councillors will receive training to operate the digital setup.

Meanwhile, an official communication issued by the Municipal Corporation’s Agenda Branch confirmed that during the 358th General House meeting held on February 11, five councillors were declared elected unopposed as members of the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) for 2026 under Regulation 58(5) of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation regulations.

The members are Harjeet Singh, Jasbir Singh (Ward 24), Kanwarjeet Singh, Rajinder Kumar Sharma, and Yogesh Dhingra. The committee is empowered to approve works up to Rs 50 lakh.

Earlier in the session, the AAP councillors also raised concerns about deaths of cattle in city gaushalas and demanded that an inquiry committee report be made public. The mayor assured that the report would first be presented before the House and said corrective steps had already begun after his inspection of facilities.