The Municipal Council (MC) meeting that was cancelled on September 3 due to lack of quorum, was convened amid chaotic scenes today.
Allegations and counter-allegations flew high after two groups of ward members accused each other of shifting allegiance to MC president Manmohan Singh Mall.
Opposing ward members demanded that prior to the start of the meeting, they should be heard on the 11-point issues that they had raised at the previous meeting. However, Mall did not accept their demand, resulting in chaotic scenes and strong objection from the wary members.
Mall, already facing dissension and fearing adverse publicity, showed the door to the mediapersons present in the meeting. This is the second time that Mall has shunted journalists out during a meeting. The last such incident was during his previous tenure as the MC president.
The ward members boycotted the council meeting on the 11-point demands and left the hall raising slogans against Mall.
Shashi Rawat, an MC ward member who was with the opposing group earlier, said it was decided that all the opposing ward members would sign the proceeding book of the meeting and register their protest in matters they considered detrimental to the interest of the civic body.
However, four ward members, namely Ramesh Bhandari, Vinod Semwal, Anuj Gupta and Jasvir Kaur, left the meeting in the name of boycott after signing the proceeding book, thus helping in passing of the contentious proposal to construct shops on Picture Palace-Landour Road indirectly, said Rawat.
When contacted, Ramesh Bhandari, Vinod Semwal and Jasvir Kaur said Rawat’s claims were baseless as it was decided that they would first raise the 11 demands and then discuss the other matters later.
However, two ward members, namely Beena Panwar and Sashi Rawat, instead of consulting them, went in the board meeting and extended their support to Mall, which resulted in the passing of the contentious proposal, Semwal said.
Ramesh Bhandari said this changing of sides amounted to blackmailing and nothing else.
The opposing MC ward members, who are from the Congress party, are also planning to take the matter to Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
However, residents are baffled at this war of words in the MC. They alleged that it was possible that ward members could have struck a deal with the MC president.
Allegations and counter-allegations flew high after two groups of ward members accused each other of shifting allegiance to MC president Manmohan Singh Mall.
Opposing ward members demanded that prior to the start of the meeting, they should be heard on the 11-point issues that they had raised at the previous meeting. However, Mall did not accept their demand, resulting in chaotic scenes and strong objection from the wary members.
Mall, already facing dissension and fearing adverse publicity, showed the door to the mediapersons present in the meeting. This is the second time that Mall has shunted journalists out during a meeting. The last such incident was during his previous tenure as the MC president.
The ward members boycotted the council meeting on the 11-point demands and left the hall raising slogans against Mall.
Shashi Rawat, an MC ward member who was with the opposing group earlier, said it was decided that all the opposing ward members would sign the proceeding book of the meeting and register their protest in matters they considered detrimental to the interest of the civic body.
However, four ward members, namely Ramesh Bhandari, Vinod Semwal, Anuj Gupta and Jasvir Kaur, left the meeting in the name of boycott after signing the proceeding book, thus helping in passing of the contentious proposal to construct shops on Picture Palace-Landour Road indirectly, said Rawat.
When contacted, Ramesh Bhandari, Vinod Semwal and Jasvir Kaur said Rawat’s claims were baseless as it was decided that they would first raise the 11 demands and then discuss the other matters later.
However, two ward members, namely Beena Panwar and Sashi Rawat, instead of consulting them, went in the board meeting and extended their support to Mall, which resulted in the passing of the contentious proposal, Semwal said.
Ramesh Bhandari said this changing of sides amounted to blackmailing and nothing else.
The opposing MC ward members, who are from the Congress party, are also planning to take the matter to Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
However, residents are baffled at this war of words in the MC. They alleged that it was possible that ward members could have struck a deal with the MC president.
