MC infighting hits development

Rajiv Bhatia

Dera Bassi, October 10
Infighting among Dera Bassi municipal councillors is affecting development in the township.

Residents have alleged that ongoing differences between the councillors have put development on the backburner. After the council elections in 2008, the MC had focussed only on pending works and no big projects were being started, they claimed.

In Dera Bassi, there were of 13 wards, out of which SAD candidates had won from seven, BJP from two and Congress from one. The remaining three were won by independent candidates.

The tussle among them started before the bypoll for the Banur assembly seat in June, 2009. Eight councillors had submitted a no-confidence motion against MC president Manjit Kaur.

According to MC sources, a no-confidence motion could be passed only by the requisite majority of councillors. The opposing councillors could not muster the requisite majority and no meeting had been called to discuss this issue.

The councillors were divided into two groups. One group, which had eight councillors, were against the MC president, said to be close to the late Capt Kanwaljit Singh. Her group had five municipal councillors.

The opposing councillors had alleged that while submitting the motion they had lost faith in the style of working of the president.

She lacked knowledge of local problems, due to which development was affected, they added.

Unconfirmed reports stated that some personal issues were a part of this activity and they were getting the support of a senior Akali leader to remove the MC president. On the other hand, councillors supporting the MC president denied the allegations made by the eight councillors.

“The municipal councillors are not in a mood to undertake any development of the town and they are enjoying the facilities provided to them”, said a resident of Ward No 4.

Residents also stated that councillors did not care for the general public and had forgot the promises they made during the elections.

They seemed to forget that if the general public had voted them in, they also had the power to vote them out, the resident added.