PATIALA, Oct 11: It is extravagance, the Municipal Corporation style. While on the one hand it has been facing a severe resource crunch, property worth about Rs 1 crore - purchased by the MC for shifting of its offices to the new premises - has been lying unoccupied for the past one year.Sources said the MC purchased an office site in an SCO in the Chhoti Baradari Complex when it finalised plans to auction the historic Town Hall, located in the heart of the city, where the office of the MC is located for the past several decades.The decision was prompted by suggestions that it was located in a busy and congested area. Additionally, it was also argued that the building was not big enough to accommodate more staff in view of the increased strength following upgradation of the municipal committee to a municipal corporation.According to the initial plans, the Town Hall building was to be auctioned and a reserve price of Rs 8 crore was fixed, but since there were no bidders, the auction had to be abandoned. There was also opposition to the MC plans to auction the historic Town Hall building, which certain residents pointed out had sentimental value for them.Another office building, on the ground floor in the same block, was also taken by the MC on rent about a year ago. The office was got furnished and two telephone lines were also installed there. For some months, weekly meetings, chaired by the former commissioner of the corporation, were held there. But ever since the transfer of the previous commissioner, the office has been lying locked and in a state of neglect.While the MC has been lavish in these spendings, it has been facing a resource crunch to the extent that it has not been able to clear the arrears of the Provident Fund of employees and contractors' bills have also been lying unpaid.Harkesh Singh Sidhu, the then commissioner, had announced that there were plans to shift the Corporation offices to the new building by June. But the matter has been hanging fire even though at that time plans had been drawn to start work on raising partitions in the office complex to house different departments.The Commissioner of the Corporation, K.S. Kang, when contacted today, admitted that the offices were lying unoccupied. He said he would study the entire case and a decision in this matter would be taken soon.He said he personally favoured that the Corporation should have its own office at one of its landed properties with enough space for future plans.Meanwhile, the contractor who undertook work of furnishing the office at the ground floor has been running from pillar to post for the release of his pending dues, totalling about Rs 1.27 lakh. He said he executed the work after a regular work order was issued in his favour by the Corporation engineer early this year.Incidentally, the Municipal House, the building which before the upgradation of the municipal committee was being used by the executive officer as his residence, has been converted into a guest house of the Corporation. It was used by two commissioners as the official residence. The building now is hardly being put to use though it is located in a prime area and is well furnished with air-conditioned suites.
