Endorsing the demand for more financial power to Finance & Contract Committee of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the Parliamentary sub-Committee has recommended increasing its financial power by upto Rs1 crore.
The financial power of Finance & Contract Committee headed by Mayor is upto Rs35 lakh. The matter involving financial implication beyond Rs5 lakh and policy decisions are placed before the General body (House) meeting of the Municipal Corporation.
The Sub-committee on the Administration of union territories of Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, in its recommendations submitted to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has stated that keeping in view the municipal area of Chandigarh, Rs35 lakh is meager amount. The Parliamentary Committee also recommended strengthening of manpower and infrastructure of MCC.
“Strengthening of MCC in terms of using information technology is also required therefore, the UT Administration should take all corrective actions proactively to remove hurdles in the way of MCC. Besides, there should be maximum use of information technology in the offices of Municipal body so that residents could get their work done hassle free,” stated the Parliamentary Committee in its report.
The Committee further stated that the MCC should strive to increase its fund absorption capacity for carrying out the development projects in the municipal area of the UT with alacrity.
Regarding the delay in implementation of Right to Service Act in the union territory of Chandigarh, the sub-Committee has recommended that the UT Administration should soon finalise services to be covered under the Right to Service Act, 2013 and the Act be notified at the earliest.
The Committee has also suggested that a Single Window Committee should be functional in the UT at the earliest and it should further be strengthened by including all the Departments with a separate grievance redressal mechanism to address the problems/grievances of the people at large.
Other Suggestions by Parliamentary Board
UT Administration should expedite the completion of the study for improvement of traffic and transportation and consider the same while finalizing the proposed Master Plan.
A comprehensive water use audit should be done in all the houses, residential and commercial buildings. Pilot project for rain water harvesting may be implemented at the earliest.
On the issue of shortage of water, the Committee recommended that the Ministry of Home Affairs should take up this matter at the highest level for getting water from Bhakra Canal for augmentation of Kajauli water works in Chandigarh.
For Sukhna lake conservation, a long term plan may be prepared for conserving the lake.
Acquisition of another 272 acres of land for further expansion of IT Park should be completed.
No legislative Assembly for Chandigarh
While the Parliamentary sub-committee has recommended the Government of India to look into the demand of an Assembly for both the Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, it has not recommended legislative Assembly for Chandigarh.
In its report, the Committee stated that it finds merit in the popular demand for creation of an assembly for both the Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and desires that the Government of India may look into this issue on the lines of Puducherry.
On the issue of legislative assembly, the UT Administration had submitted that the existing system /set up is considered appropriate for the present. According to UT Administration, the Administrator’s Advisory Council and Home Minister’s Advisory Committees (HMACs) are in place wherein sufficient political representation is already there, stated the report.
Notably, the demand of forming a legislative assembly for Chandigarh was raised by the councillors of Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh and other city’s associations in a meeting with the Parliamentary sub-Committee held in 2012.