As the five-year term of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation draws to a close next month, it leaves behind a glaring symbol of unfulfilled promises: its own incomplete headquarters. The civic body, which has been operating from three scattered locations, has failed to complete the construction of a dedicated office building, a project initiated five years ago.
A Project Mired in Delays and Setbacks
The ambitious project to construct a unified Municipal Corporation office in Sector 3 began in 2020. The construction contract was awarded in December 2019 for Rs 29.49 crore, with an initial deadline set for April 2021. However, the project soon hit major roadblocks. The initial contractor was found violating tender conditions, including unauthorized subcontracting and causing significant delays. The contractor eventually expressed inability to complete the work, leading the MC to terminate the contract under strained circumstances.
By that time, work worth approximately Rs 11 crore had been completed. The main structure of the building in Sector 3 stands today, but crucial finishing work—including tiling, electrical installations, painting, and other final touches—remains pending. An estimated Rs 17 crore worth of work is still incomplete.
Administrative Hurdles and Public Inconvenience
Following the contract termination, the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) Department granted approval to complete the remaining work, paving the way for a fresh tender. After a prolonged delay and a re-tendering process, the civic body finally received bids from two agencies. These details were sent to the ULB department for final approval, but the project remains stuck in bureaucratic limbo.
When contacted, Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal stated, "The file related to this matter was sent to the ULB department for final approval. Since it could not be taken up in the last meeting with the chief minister, now it will come up in the next meeting."
Due to the lack of a consolidated workspace, the Municipal Corporation continues to operate from three separate offices located in Sectors 4, 12A, and 14, causing significant hardship for local residents who must navigate between these locations for their work.
Citizen Frustration and Official Priorities Questioned
The prolonged delay has drawn sharp criticism from citizen groups. SK Nayar, President of the Citizens' Welfare Association, Panchkula, commented, "The work started about five years ago, but is still incomplete says a lot about priorities of the authorities. This project only shows how development gets hit due to multiple permissions, terribly long tendering processes, and unjustified delays in implementation."
This failure to deliver a basic administrative infrastructure within its own term highlights systemic issues in project execution and governance, leaving the residents of Panchkula to bear the brunt of the inconvenience.
