Chandigarh Mayor urges UT Administrator for urgent financial support to sustain essential services in city

Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla meets Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria

Chandigarh, February 4:-Chandigarh Mayor, Mrs. Harpreet Kaur Babla today met Sh. Gulab Chand Kataria and raised various key issues pertaining to the larger public interest and urged for strengthening the financial position of MC Chandigarh as well as welfare of its employees.

The Mayor briefed the Administrator that the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh (MCC) has been playing a crucial role in maintaining and developing the city’s infrastructure, ensuring sanitation, and providing essential public services on a no-profit, no-loss basis. However, despite its relentless efforts, the Corporation is facing severe financial crunch, hampering its ability to continue these vital functions.

She further stated that with the establishment of MCC, several departments of the Chandigarh Administration, including the Engineering Department, Medical Officer of Health, and Fire & Emergency Wing, were transferred to its jurisdiction. Additionally, the staff and responsibilities of the Notified Area Committee, Manimajra, also came under MCC’s ambit. The Engineering Department itself comprises Public Health, B&R, Horticulture, and the Electrical Wing.
MCC’s Responsibilities and Financial Challenges
MCC remains highly dependent on grants-in-aid from the Chandigarh Administration.

She briefed that while MCC generate some revenue through property tax and water bills, these funds are insufficient to cover the increasing costs of maintaining civic amenities in the city.

The Mayor raised some key issues with the Administrator including:

* Road Infrastructure: MCC maintains 2,000 km of roads, including major and internal roads, as well as parking lots. 270 km of roads are constructed or repaired annually to ensure smooth traffic movement, yet no direct revenue is generated from this work.

* Green Spaces & Beautification: The Corporation maintains 1,800 neighborhood parks, over 100 large parks, and green belts, along with 1.75 lakh trees and bushes. Additionally, open-air gyms have been set up in most parks to promote public health—all at MCC’s expense, without any income in return.

* Sanitation & Animal Welfare: MCC is responsible for garbage collection, segregation, processing, and sterilization of stray animals. It also manages cattle shelters and fodder supply for stray cows, incurring substantial costs.

* Street Lighting & Electricity Repairs: MCC bears the full cost of maintaining street lights on key roads (V-3, V-4, V-5, and V-6) without any financial assistance from the Chandigarh Administration.
Funding Shortfall & Cost-Cutting Measures
Despite its expanding responsibilities, MCC has received only ₹560 crore in grant-in-aid for the 2024-25 financial year, against a demand of ₹1,651.75 crore as per the 4th Delhi Finance Commission recommendations. In the past five years, grants have increased at an average rate of only 4.53%, while annual expenses have grown by 10%.

The Mayor said that in response to the financial crisis, MCC has implemented several cost-cutting measures, including:

* Reducing outsourcing staff (1,200 positions removed).
* Minimizing vehicle expenses for officers/officials.
* Cutting costs in events like the Chrysanthemum Show 2024.
* Reducing expenses for General House meetings by 50%.
* Voluntary surrender of 50% entertainment expenses by senior officers.
Additionally, MCC has successfully recovered ₹14.15 crore from defaulters of water tariffs, property tax, and vendor charges, even canceling 6,841 vendor sites due to non-payment. However, major property tax defaulters include government departments, with many cases stuck in litigation.

She urged for urgent additional grant of ₹170 crore to meet salary, pension, electricity bills, fuel costs, and other essential expenditures for February and March 2025. She requested the Administrator for issuing necessary directions to the Chandigarh Administration to release these funds to ensure the smooth functioning of civic services.

Furthermore, She appealed for quarterly release of grants-in-aid in the 2025-26 financial year, instead of monthly disbursements, to enable better financial planning and efficient management of resources.

She said that the Municipal Corporation remains committed to serving Chandigarh’s residents with world-class civic amenities and urged the Chandigarh Administration to provide the necessary financial support for the city’s continued growth and development.

The Mayor said that the Administrator assured full support from the Chandigarh Administration and directed the concerned officers to convene a urgent meeting shortly to discuss financial status of MC Chandigarh in detail.

=====================================

Mayor Urges Chandigarh Administration to Address Farmers' Long-Pending Demands and Water Supply Issues

Chandigarh, February 4:- The Mayor of Chandigarh, Mrs. Harpreet Kaur Babla, has urged, the Governor of Punjab and Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, Sh. Gulab Chand Kataria to take immediate action on the pressing issues faced by the residents and farmers of villages in Chandigarh.

During the Advisory Council meeting, the Mayor highlighted the urgent need for regular water connections for residents living outside Lal Dora in 24 villages of Chandigarh. These residents are currently dependent on expensive water tankers, despite having been provided electricity connections.

The Mayor emphasized that water is a basic necessity and urged the UT Administration to direct the Municipal Corporation to amend the Water Bye-Laws to facilitate legal water connections.

Additionally, the Mayor strongly advocated for the implementation of a Land Pooling Policy on the lines of Punjab and Haryana for Chandigarh villages. The proposal, which was unanimously passed by the MC House in 2022, aims to develop approximately 2,900-3,000 acres of land through a structured and legal mechanism. This policy will not only curb illegal encroachments but also provide a win-win solution for both farmers and the administration—ensuring planned urban development while securing landowners’ interests.
Key benefits of the Land Pooling Policy include:
* Resolution of long-standing land disputes and litigation.
* Development of new sectors for Chandigarh’s growth.
* Economic security for around 70,000 landowners/farmers in the city.
The Mayor urged the UT Administration to expedite the approval of this policy, which has been a long-pending demand of Chandigarh’s farmers. “This step will ensure planned development while safeguarding the interests of local farmers, who have been waiting for justice for years,” the Mayor stated.

The Mayor reaffirmed the Municipal Corporation’s commitment to working closely with the Chandigarh Administration to resolve these critical issues and ensure inclusive growth and development for the city.