Mohali mayor accuses AAP govt of blocking devp works in housing societies

City councillors, led by mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu, met Kulwant Singh, director of Punjab’s local government department, on Tuesday, and demanded permissions for carrying out developmental works in private societies in Mohali.

Addressing a press conference, mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu said that there are nearly 35 to 40 housing societies in Mohali where development works are not being carried out due to restricted permissions from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government.

“Several private societies, including Home Land Society, Pancham Society, Mohali Cooperative Society and Guru Tegh Bahadur Society, have been awaiting clearances for basic civic infrastructure such as road repairs, park maintenance, drainage systems, streetlights and sewerage works for years. Even though such works can legally be undertaken under Section 82/3, the works are not being carried out. During the previous Congress government, former minister Balbir Singh Sidhu had carried out development works worth crores of rupees in these very societies. However, after the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government, those works have remained incomplete and not even a single rupee has been spent on new development projects”, Sidhu said.

He alleged that the government is indulging in open discrimination. According to the mayor, development works worth around ₹1 crore have been approved for a housing society linked to an Aam Aadmi Party councillor, whereas even works worth ₹20 lakh are not being approved for societies located in wards represented by Congress councillors. He further alleged that even the file related to works in Sector-68 has been made to disappear.

Mayor Sidhu further said that residents of all housing societies in Mohali pay property tax, so there is no justification for such discrimination. He claimed that several resolutions were sent in writing to the department of local government, but each time they were rejected. He further alleged that on one occasion it was even stated that if a resolution was sent again, the person forwarding it would be charge-sheeted.

The mayor alleged that when the resolution for the society of AAP councillor Sukhdev Patwari (Rishi Apartments) was approved and a work order was issued, the resolution sent at the same time for the Pancham Society in the ward of Vineet Malik was still kept pending. He stated that the residents of Mohali are not outsiders and they deserve equal facilities and development.

According to the mayor, the director listened to the delegation’s concerns seriously and assured them that the matter would be forwarded to the officials concerned and that necessary steps would be taken to ensure development works in the housing societies. Mayor clarified that he is not against any individual or political party, but discrimination against Mohali’s housing societies will not be tolerated at any cost.