A day ahead of the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat’s visit to the town to attend the swachhta programme at Ramlila ground, the president of Pauri Nagar Palika Parishad Yashpal Benam along with a civic body team embarked on a cleanliness and road repairing overdrive at the Upper Bazaar area, fuelling speculation that he would try to use the CM’s visit to his advantage.
Notably, the administration had stripped him of his financial power a few days ago in response to the fund misappropriation complaint lodged by some civic body members.
Observers say that the civic body with Benam at the helm has suddenly sprung up from its protracted slumber to impress the CM enough into withdrawing the State Government’s order of stripping him of his financial prowess.
“This is for the first time that the residents of the town have seen Benam doing patch-up works and repairing the potholed stretches himself.
Their demand for the same for the past three years fell on deaf ears.
But now, he has turned hyper-active to show how much concerned he is to better things in the town a day before the CM arrives.
This is ominous against the backdrop of the State Government being intent on clipping his wings by administrative steps. He is likely to go all-out to cajole the CM into withdrawing the order that stripped him of his financial power.
If the plan succeeds it would send a very wrong message to the people who are angry over the civic body president tweaking rules with impunity for self-interests,” said an observer.
The chief minister would be the chief guest of the swachhta programme to be held at Ramlila Ground from 11 am to 12 am in Pauri on Wednesday. Thereafter, the CM would hear out the problems of the people during Janta Darbar and Janta Milan slated at the same place from 12 noon to 2 pm.
Sources say that embattled Benam would try to use the CM’s visit up to the hilt to have the order withdrawn. “It seems that he is planning to send his supporters to the CM during the Janta Darbar to pressure the State Government to withdraw the order.
The people, though they are against the Government giving any relief to civic body president, are helpless as those loyal to him are notorious goons,” says an observer.