Shimla mayor resigns

She said: “I told the PCC president that if he finds me guilty or I have violated party discipline,I am ready to face the consequences. I have always worked with sincerity and honesty. But,some people really forced me to sign a statement,which I would not have signed under normal conditions.”

She was apparently hinting towards a statement supporting an upcoming,yet controversial private housing project promoted by – Bamloi Development and Infrastructure in Kanlog area of Shimla,which is surrounded by dense forest patches .

The congress had been asking for an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the grant of different sanctions to the promoters and also the scrapping of the project which the party says had violated provisions of the Forest Conservation Act.

Madhu Sood,who was the second woman Mayor of Shimla,was elected to the post two years back. Even the BJP councillors had voted for her.

The Mayor,who for a long time had kept her distance from the controversies surrounding the multi-crore housing project in her municipal ward,had raked-up the issue 10 days back,when she crossed swords with the Municipal Corporation Commissioner,A N Sharma.

She had accused Sharma,an IPS officer of IGP-rank,of favouring the promoters and granting them No-Objection Certificate (NOC) within a single day – a fact which both promoters and Sharma have already denied. Initially,she stuck to her guns and even visited the site of the project where the company had also built a road,allegedly in violation of the Forest Conservation Act.

Subsequently,Madhu Sood revoked her accusations and gave a clean chit to the commissioner and even the promoters,who she claimed had sent her a letter giving full details of the case and clearances they had obtained. “I am convinced with the report of the Commissioner,” she had said in a statement which surprised the congress party president.

Kaul Singh Thakur first sent Madhu Sood a notice seeking her explanation for the change in her stance – which was against the party,and then asked her to resign. Thakur could not be reached for his comments but sources close to him said he would accept the resignation on return to Shimla tomorrow.

Meanwhile,the company continues to reject the charges about any violations and has defended the project as being eco-friendly.

Tikender Singh Panwar,CPM state secretariat member,held a press conference today to point out serious irregularities and violations and demanded that the project be scrapped.