Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli has alleged that the Congress-led State Government is scared of facing the urban local body (UlB) elections at present; that is why it pleaded the case in the High Court weakly. This has resulted in the court directing the directorate of census to notify the 2011 census in three months to enable fresh delimitation of municipal wards only after which will the urban local body elections be held in the State.
The Mayor said that he had talked to former Chief Minister Maj Gen (retd) Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri and would talk to the BJP State chief Tirath Singh Rawat for a statewide agitation on this issue.
Addressing mediapersons, the Mayor said, “I smell a Congress conspiracy in this because a party councillor filed the PIl in the HC and the State Government showed little interest in winning the case. The statements made by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and PCC chief Yashpal Arya in response to the HC decision make it seem as if the Government is relieved and didn’t want the elections to be held on time. The Congress-led State Government is about to finish a year in office but in this period it has failed to ensure the desired condition of roads in Dehradun, failed to execute needed sewerage works and has not been able to further the potable water works approved during the tenure of the previous State Government led by BJP,” alleged Chamoli, adding that the present State Government was orchestrating scams in execution of development works, in the mining sector and in the liquor business.
The Mayor further alleged that the State Government was trying to weaken democratic institutions.
“I think it will take at least a year for the UlB elections to be held in the State and since the tenure of the present board of the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun ends on May 5, I believe the Government might appoint an administrator,” said Chamoli.