The upcoming meeting of the Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC) of the Municipal Corporation, scheduled for this week, is set to be a politically charged affair as newly inducted committee members Aman Bagga and Yuvraj Sidhu—sons of two sitting AAP MLAs—attend for the first time. The meeting will discuss 70 development agendas.
Opposition cries foul over nomination process
Their inclusion in the influential committee has sparked a political row, with Congress and BJP councillors alleging that Mayor Inderjit Kaur violated the Municipal Corporation Act by nominating the two councillors instead of having them elected by the House. According to the law, the committee comprises the Mayor, two Deputy Mayors, two councillors elected by councillors from among themselves, and the Municipal Commissioner. The Act empowers the committee to exercise all powers of the corporation regarding contracts and purchases.
The opposition claims that the nomination is contrary to statutory provisions and has demanded the withdrawal of the appointments. A written representation has been submitted to the Mayor, requesting that opposition councillors be considered for the committee. The opposition maintains that the procedure adopted by the civic body is “totally illegal” and undermines democratic norms.
Congress and BJP leaders speak out
Congress councillor Shyam Sunder Malhotra stated that the F&CC is one of the most important committees of the corporation as it decides the fate of major development works, tenders, and financial proposals. He emphasized that transparency in such decisions could only be ensured if opposition councillors were represented on the committee. “There are several shortcomings in clearing development project files only through the F&CC. There should be one or two opposition councillors in the committee to maintain transparency. The law clearly provides that councillor members should be elected, not nominated. Moreover, the consent of the House was never taken before including the two members,” Malhotra alleged.
BJP councillor Poonam Rattra accused the ruling AAP of trying to tighten its control over the decision-making process. “Already, the committee comprises the Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the Municipal Commissioner. Now, by adding two AAP councillors through nomination, the ruling party will have complete control over approvals and rejection of development projects and tenders. It is against democratic principles and completely illegal,” she alleged.
Impact on civic administration
The opposition maintains that the F&CC should not function without adequate representation from opposition councillors if transparency and accountability in civic administration are to be ensured. They also allege that the ruling party is attempting to centralize decision-making in the committee by bypassing the election process prescribed under the Municipal Corporation Act. Despite repeated attempts, Mayor Inderjit Kaur was not available for comments.
