Shimla: Congress today demanded recall of Shimla municipal commissioner saying that the officer was working like a BJP agent, scuttling functioning of the civic body and was not adhering to democratic norms.
State congress president Kaul Singh Thakur told reporters that AN Sharma, who is the commissioner of the municipal corporation at one point of time had resigned from the police service and applied for a BJP assembly ticket.
“On not being allotted the ticket, the resignation was withdrawn and the officer was allowed to continue with his job. The commissioner was bypassing the municipal house resolutions and earlier also at one MC house meeting, 26 members had unanimously moved a resolution seeking his recall, which the government had not acted upon, he said.
BJP was using every tactic to save the commissioner, Kaul Singh said, congress demands his recall and an senior IAS officer who is impartial be appointed as the new commissioner.
Pointing out the controversial construction activity going on in a thick forest area, the congress president said that whereas there were many applications for seeking no objection certificates to start constructions pending for years with the corporation but the commissioner in a day had approved the application of Bamloe builders. The company was a front for DLF, he alleged.
Recalling chief minister Dhumal assurance to the Vidhan Sabha that construction activity at the controversial site would be stopped till a through inquiry is got conducted into it, he said, “the construction only stopped till the budget session was on and has since resumed.â€
Demanding an inquiry into the whole issue, he said the government was in connivance with the builder as Rs 33 lakh had been sanctioned by the deputy commissioner on recommendations of the chief minister for developing a road through a thick forest area for the colony.
Welcoming the governments move about appointing and High Court Judge to go into the whole issue of sanctions given under HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act for buying agriculture land in the state, he said that the terms of reference should also include how essentiality certificates (ECs) were issued for allowing construction of residential colonies in forest areas.
Congress on coming to power would review all sanctions given under section 118 and wherever violations have taken place, all those properties would be vested with the state, he said.
He said given the violations taking place, congress demands repealing of the Apartment Act, something which the chief minister had proposed in the Vidhan Sabha. “By referring the controversial act to a select committee, the government was tactically delaying the mater in order to appease the builder lobby,†he said.
Ends
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
