UT Municipal Corporation plans to write to Haryana and Punjab, seek financial contribution

Mayor Davesh Moudgil said that while Haryana and Punjab demand 60:40 ratio in the allocation of departments to their officers working in Chandigarh and also avail facilities in the city, they should contribute in funds annually for the civic body of their capital.

“Not just residents from Punjab and Haryana but their top brass also avails all facilities in Chandigarh. They have their Vidhan Sabha, both Secretariats and High Court here other than residences of their officers, Chief Ministers. Chandigarh has pressure from both the governments, so it is their duty to contribute funds to us,” Moudgil said.

The mayor added that in the letter which they are drafting, they would also specify the list of their departments or offices which have pending dues of property tax or water bills.

“We are sending out a detailed letter. It is the responsibility of these governments as well to provide some funds annually. The ratio would be chalked out later,” he said.

There are 1,470 departments which have not cleared pending bills to the MC. The mayor added that there was a need for Tricity development council for Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali so that there is coordination between the three.

The MC has been facing a financial crisis because of which it will be unable to pay the committed liabilities as well.

The pending liabilities like salaries, pensions, utility bills which MC has to pay for 2018-19 are Rs 492 crore while its own receipts are Rs 171 crore. The total grant-in-aid which it has received from the UT Administration is Rs 267 crore. There is a shortfall of Rs 54 crore for paying salaries, pensions and other necessary amount, not to talk of development works in the city amounting to Rs 250 crore. The corporation had passed a budget of Rs 910.76 crore for 2018-19 but it has been struggling to make payments to contractors for the previous year’s works as well.