Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 17: The monthly House meeting of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) Corporation today witnessed a strong protest by Independent and Congress councilors against Mayor and Deputy Mayor for not paying heed to the grievances of the people projected by them, time and again.
According to the reports, as soon as the proceedings of the House started, one of the female councilors asked a question to Mayor regarding unavailability of funds and resultant deteriorating condition of lanes and drains. As the Mayor, Chander Mohan Gupta failed to give a satisfactory reply to the councilor, she started raising slogans against the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
Meanwhile, other independent and Congress councilors also came in her support and staged protest. They disrupted proceedings of the House for about two hours during which they also staged walkout. Mayor Chander Mohan Gupta and Deputy Mayor, Poornima Sharma tried to pacify them but all in vain.
They shouted slogans demanding release of funds for various development works in their respective wards, stating that only a sum of Rs 10 lakh has been sanctioned for each ward of the Corporation since elections were held. They said the due to unavailability of funds they are unable to carry out even repair work of lanes, drains and street lights and every now and then, they have to face the anger of the public.
Later, after repeated requests from the Mayor to project their issues before the House in a peaceful way, the protesting councilors pacified and put forth their issues before the House. They demanded that the Mayor should lead a delegation of councilors to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and seek funds for the urban local bodies of J&K.
Inder Singh Sudan, councilor of Ward No 44, who was also among the protesting councilors, speaking to Excelsior, said that the protest was held by independent and Congress councilors as despite assurance in every meeting of the House, they were not given funds for carrying out development works.
He said recently Home Minister Amit Shah, sanctioned about Rs 700 crore for Panchayats of J&K when a delegation of Sarpanchs and Panchs from the State met him at New Delhi but councilors are without funds since their election due to which they are unable to discharge their duties and resentment is brewing among the public against them.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
