Zirakpur MC building in a shambles

Rajiv Bhatia

Zirakpur, November 8
Though Zirakpur is developing at a fast pace, the district administration seems to have forgotten to upgrade its own municipal council building that is crying for a makeover.

The building of Zirakpur municipal council is in a shambles. A Grade I category municipal council building, which had been repaired a number of times during the past years, is presently in a very bad shape.

The residents complained that there were no proper sitting arrangements for visitors and the parking problem also prevailed. They also demanded the MC office should be at some open place with proper parking facility.

However, MC officials claimed that the civic body was planning to construct their new building for which the plans were in the pipeline.

According to information, the MC office is running in a community centre, which was inaugurated in 1995. The foundation stone at the MC office shows that the building was constructed when Zirakpur was a gram panchayat. Though Zirakpur nagar panchayat was upgraded to municipal council in 2007, nobody bothered to upgrade the MC office.

There are 19 rooms divided in cabins at the MC office where around 28 employees are working. There are no fire extinguishers, sand bucket or water hydrant system available in the office to control any untoward incident.

Some employees working in the office, on the condition of anonymity, said the roofs of some rooms leaked during rains and cracks had developed in the walls. The roof of their room could collapse any time, they added.

Sources in the civic body said as the population in Zirakpur was increasing by the day, public dealing had also increased. They revealed that the authorities had identified a barren land for the MC building and the site would be finalised after approval from the local administration.

After that, the matter would be put up at the coming MC meeting. Sources also said the processes to prepare the map for the new MC building had been started for which a private architect had been hired.

Naresh Sharma, a resident of Zirakpur, said the MC building was in bad condition and despite of repeated reminders the authorities concerned were not paying heed.