Shimla: Laying blame on Congress for deterioration of civic services in Shimla, the oldest municipal body in the country, Communist Party of India (Marxists) hit out at the party saying that its unbroken 25 year stint at helm of Shimla Municipal Corporation had been blatantly misused for promoting private businesses and obtaining lucrative contracts.
Releasing the profile of its candidates for mayor and deputy mayor election, scheduled for May 27, CPI(M) state secretary Rakesh Singha said that with Congress having a unbroken stint in running the affairs of the MC since 1986, it was solely responsible for the total failure of civic services of the city.
Throwing open the party’s intentions of entering into an pre-poll alliance for forming a third front, he said CPI(M) intended to contest all 25 wards and the post of mayor and deputy mayor but was willing to accommodate other parties also.
“Minus the BJP and Congress, we are open to a pre-poll alliance. We would be releasing our manifesto on May 13,” he said.
Not sparring BJP in contributing towards neglect of the municipal corporation CPI(M) senior party member Kuldeep Tanwar, who was also present said, said that their party was for amending the MC Act as much of the powers in the civic body vested with the municipal commissioner.
“BJP in connivance with the district administration and municipal commissioner have misused funds meant for development of rural areas and diverted it to construct a road in violation of green laws to a high end colony in Bamloe, he said.
He said that their party had put up candidates who were neither holding any jobs or were in business but elected members from Congress had misused the civic body for obtaining contracts or promoting private businesses.
He said that mayor candidate Sanjay Chauhan and deputy mayor candidate Tikender Panwar over the years have been raising citizen related issues and have proved effective in making the authorities act, be it the issue of shifting of interstate bus stand, or stalling illegal transfer a private school to a builder and several other issues.
Tanwar said that Shimla was the oldest municipal body of the country but the city citizens had never been associated with the planning process for its development.
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.
Congress is a party of contractors and businessmen, there MPs, MLAs and Councillors are more of brokers, middlemen and lately called as settlers…there were times when people used to join Congress for serving the society and for the cause of the nation. Fearing the misuse of power by Congressmen after independence, Gandhiji suggested dismantling of the Indian National Congress and it should be stopped from fighting general elections while eating the fruits of Indian National Movement. The old INC comprised of people from all political ideologies and sections of the society but the real ‘after-independence’ fruits are being eaten by the Nehru-Gandhi family and their cohorts only…They need to be taught a lesson by all thinking and intelligent people now…