Gupta counts achievements as Mayor; claims ‘All Is Well’ in his Ward

Sanjeev K Sharma
JAMMU, Nov 29: After remaining as the helmsman at Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) for about four years, Chander Mohan Gupta claimed unprecedented developmental works during his tenure.
“Work on Tawi River Front which was started in my tenure is presently underway, work on artificial lake on river Tawi which was pending for many years was restarted when I was Mayor, Musical Fountain and Light-Sound Show at Bagh-e-Bahu were started when I was Mayor, my efforts put the historic Mubarak Mandi complex to glow with lights and triggered pace of work on Jammu Zoo,” Gupta, former JMC Mayor said during an exclusive interaction with the Excelsior.
He continued: “Goshala at Nagrota was made by JMC during my tenure to accommodate cows seized by cops from bovine smugglers and gate at JMC entrance and at Sidhra Bridge were made by my efforts at an expenditure of over Rs. 40 lakh while Street Lights worth Rs. 100 crore were installed in the city and work on Rs. 89 crore solid waste management plant at Kot Bhalwal was also started by me.”
Gupta also said that project worth crores for constructing footpaths from Jewel Chowk to Patta Bohri was also started during his tenure along with many other works in Gandhi Nagar area and renovation of the JMC building for the first time was started by him along with construction of a parking place there while Panjtirthi parking place, constructed at an expenditure of Rs. 24 crore, is one of the best in Jammu with capacity to accommodate 258 cars and 168 two wheelers.
He further said that Gondola was also made functional during his tenure, JMC was awarded for processing single use plastic and the Urban Local Body got a prize on Earth Day.
“Sanitization and cleanliness in the city has now improved manifolds, 150-200 autos daily collect door-to-door garbage in the city and reorganization of JMC has been done for the first time,” Gupta maintained.
“In initial years of JMC formation it was having only two divisions but today it has 12 divisions-6 divisions for development, 4 for PHE and 2 for electrical and UEED. Earlier there was one Commissioner now there are two Deputy Commissioners, three Joint Commissioners-JC Health, JC Revenue and JC Administration. When I joined as Mayor, JMC revenue was Rs. 6 crore which has now been improved to Rs. 32 crore per year,” he said.
Chander Mohan Gupta further stated that the ongoing projects when completed will change the look of Jammu city.
On corruption in JMC, he said that an Enforcement Officer of JMC was dismissed from service and the other was reverted when they were found involved in corrupt practices while one of the Councillors was also arrested on demanding graft from a contractor.
On much controversial Property Tax he said that it was imposed by the Lieutenant Governor who himself deferred it while the JMC was only there to make opinion with stake holders regarding the same.
About the new Mayor Rajinder Sharma, he said that Sharma is also his Party colleague.
“I expect that he should take the ongoing works to their logical end and should start those works which could not be started during my tenure so that people of Jammu might be facilitated,” Gupta further said.
Chander Mohan Gupta, who politically belongs to BJP and was elected as JMC Councillor from Ward number 33 for the second time said that his Ward includes the areas of Shiv Nagar (Lower and Upper), Rajpura Mangotrian and AG Office Colony.
He said that due to scarcity of land Ward office could not be made in his Ward and covering of some Nallahs was also not done there.
“There are three Nallahs in my Ward but no flood is caused even in rainy season and 75 per cent of Nallahs have been covered to make path,” Gupta said.
He claimed that Street Lights’ installation in his Ward is 100 per cent complete and the non-functional ones are being repaired in routine, construction and repair work of lanes and drains is 90 per cent complete and the remaining was not done due to paucity of funds while 85 per cent of the drains have also been covered.
“Blacktopping work is 100 per cent complete in the Ward, sewerage connectivity is 80 per cent done, cleanliness is good, number of Safai Karamcharis is also sufficient, fogging is being done properly, there is no water-power crisis in the Ward, people are happy with Smart Meters, crematorium is well developed, garbage collecting autos are doing good work and there are two Community Halls in the Ward,” the former Mayor said.
He informed about ‘Pehli Roti Gai Ki’ initiative by him in his Ward was very much liked by the people in which a battery-auto moves through different places of the Ward and collects chapattis from different households which is finally given to Gao Shalla.
Chander Mohan Gupta said that there is no park, no playground and no parking area in his Ward while for transportation e-rickshaws are available.
“Theft of iron gratings from drains have also been reported from my Ward and the police should look into this along with the increasing addiction in the city,” he said.