Dy Mayor resigns ahead of floor test
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Dec 24: A day after vote of no confidence motion was moved against the Deputy Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), another no confidence motion was today moved against Mayor, Junaid Azim Mattu, by 40 Corporators.
A letter handed over by 40 Corporators to the SMC Commissioner, Khursheed Ahmad Sania, said: “We Counsellors/Corporators of Srinagar Municipal Corporation have resolved to move no-confidence motion against the Mayor of SMC. In this regard all the below mentioned Counsellors/ Corporators of Srinagar Municipal Corporation who constitute more than one half of the total elected members of Srinagar Municipal Corporation have signed this resolution today this Tuesday 24th December 2019.”
The Corporators have sought special meeting of the SMC General Council to conduct vote on no confidence. “We also request the Secretary SMC to convene the special meeting of the General Council in terms of section 37 of J&K Municipal Corporation Act 2000 so that resolution is moved in special meeting and voting is done on no-confidence motion against the Mayor of SMC and he is removed from the office of Mayor.”
Corporator Danish Shafi, said that 40 SMC Corporators moved a no confidence motion against the Mayor today. “Out of 40, 11 are those who belong to BJP. We have moved the resolution because of incapability of the Mayor due to which the system of the Corporation has been rendered defunct. Not a single work has been done in last so many months. We want the affairs of Mayor and Deputy Mayor to come into capable hands”, he said.
He said that the motion was presented by the Independent Corporators and it has been supported by the BJP. “There is an understanding between the Independents and the BJP Corporators”, he added.
The SMC Commissioner said that 40 Corporators moved no-confidence motion against the Mayor and will conduct a session after 48 hours for floor test. “There have been two major developments occurring here since yesterday. On Monday, a no confidence motion was moved against the Deputy Mayor and today another no confidence motion was moved against the Mayor. We will be scrutinizing both the motions and after 48 hours the proceedings under the Corporation Act will be held at the council and things will take further course only there”, he added.
In the meantime, SMC Deputy Mayor, Sheikh Imran resigned from his post. “I received his resignation today and it has been signed by Sheikh Imran yesterday”, said the SMC Commissioner.”
At least 47 Corporators moved a no-confidence motion against Imran who is jailed for over four months. Although SMC was calling special session to conduct floor test, after his resignation it may not be needed. “We will see what act says about this and work accordingly”, he added.
It may be mentioned here that BJP for last one month was planning to move vote of no confidence against Mayor. BJP State general secretary Ashok Kaul and senior leader Sunil Kumar Sharma for last few months held series of meetings with Corporators to garner their support to remove Mattu.
There are 70 Corporators in SMC with BJP having 11 as 7 Independents joined the party recently. Congress is leading the tally with 17 Corporators, PC has 15, NC 11 and there are 16 independents. Four Wards are vacant.
BJP Corporator from Karan Nagar Ashok Koul and senior party leader Arif Raja are front runners for the top post in SMC.
Mattu was elected as Srinagar Mayor on 6 November 2018 with the support of BJP. He had got 40 votes. Earlier, he had resigned from the primary membership of the NC in September last year after the party decided not to contest the Urban Local Body polls.
He contested the SMC election as Independent from four Wards, winning from three of them and was announced as the Mayoral candidate by Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone hours after the election results were declared on October 20.
Juniad Mattu, however, said he is hopeful that he will win the floor test. “I am ready for floor test any time and I will win it. I have support of 50 Corporators. The Alliance of the Corporators that was formed is good for Srinagar city”, he said.
He alleged that Corporators are being harassed and offered money. “Undue harassment is being done to Corporators. Some are being offered money. We, all Corporators have full faith on law and on the institution”, he added.
The Mayor said that there are 12 Corporators whose forged signatures are on the resolution moved against him. “We have full faith in the law and we hope Lt Governor will uphold the law. We have full faith in the institution. I hope the administration will uphold the law”, he added.
One of the Corporators, Aquib Ahmad Renzu, said that their signatures have been forged. “We have written to Secretary SMC that there are 12 Corpoators in the list of those who have moved no confidence motion against the Mayor. The signatures of these 12 have been forged. They include Oman Maqbool Shera, Neelofar Khan, Ghulam Nabi Sofi, Sara Bilal, Rabia Rehman, Shafat Gaffar, Zahoor Hussain Rather, Shahzad Ahmad Bhat, Shaheena Bhat, Farooq Ahmad and my self Aquib Renzu”, he said.
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