Uproar in House over delay in clearing encroachments

Municipal Councillor Kuljit Singh Bedi questioned MC Estate Officer on the progress of work to remove rehris and temporary encroachments in the city, which the latter had promised to remove within 15 days during the last MC meeting in August. As the EO reasoned that the work could not be accomplished due to the MC employees’ strike, Bedi, supported by a majority of the councillors, both from the opposition and ruling groups, accused an MC clerk of “accepting bribe” to promote encroachments.

There was pandemonium all around following which the EO assured to shift the said MC clerk, for which he had earlier asked the MC House to adopt a resolution, which Bedi strongly opposed on “technical” grounds. “If a transfer of an MC clerk requires the MC resolution, you undertake that no transfers will be done in future without our recommendation,” Bedi told the EO who finally budged when a majority of the councillors threatened to boycott the meeting on the issue.