Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (File)
WHILE THE cash-starved Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has mooted a hike in the booking charges of community centres for the general public, it has been quite generous for the family members of the officials and councillors who wish to hold events there.
The civic body has proposed 50 per cent concession for the family members, including grandsons and granddaughters of MC officials and councillors, who desire to hold any event, wedding, birthday parties for children at the community centre.
The proposal is part of the agenda of bylaws for community centres in the city and it would be taken up for discussion in the general house on Monday.
As per the agenda, “To make optimum use and popularise community centres, the concessions or facilities shall be permitted as welfare measures like 50 per cent concessions for employees of Municipal Corporation for their own marriage, marriage of their children, brother, sister, grandson, granddaughter, birthday parties of their children and their own retirement parties.”
Then it adds, “Fifty percent concession for councillors of the Municipal Corporation for their own marriage, marriage of their children, birthday parties of their children, unmarried brother, sister, grandsons and granddaughters.”
BJP councillor Arun Sood, who was then chairman of the committee managing the community centres under whose regime the bylaws have been proposed, said, “If a person is associated with an institution, benefits are there for him. Like even in a hospital, benefits are given to the employees.”
For the general public, the charges for booking of an AC hall were Rs 10,000. The civic body has increased the rates to Rs 20,000 along with a refundable security of Rs 5,000. For non-AC halls and lawn, which were chargeable at Rs 5,000, the residents would be charged Rs 10,000 along with a refundable security of Rs 2,500.
A senior officer on condition of anonymity said, “When you say that the rates have to be increased because the corporation is in deep financial crisis, it is surely unjust to offer a concession for families of the councillors and officers. The benefit is being passed on even up to grandsons.”
Even for a short booking, charges of Rs 4,000 would be levied up to 4 hours for AC halls while Rs 2,000 for up to 4 hours for non-AC halls. Those booking the community centres would have to pay cleaning charges of Rs 1,000 additionally. While AC room in community centres urban belt would be chargeable at Rs 1,000 and non-AC at Rs 500, those in rural belt would have Rs 400 rates for AC rooms and Rs 200 for non-AC rooms. The bookings will have to be made at least six months in advance for any event.
If the bookings are cancelled in less than 2 months and more than one month in advance from the date of booking, only 25 per cent of the amount would be refunded. No amount would be refunded if the cancellation is done in less than one month or more than 15 days of the event.
The bylaws also propose that the rates would be enhanced 5 per cent annually from January 1.
Special rates for Sood’s ward
While booking rates proposed for community centres in the city are the same, there are special rates proposed for BJP former mayor and councillor Arun Sood’s ward. A three-time hike has been proposed exclusively for community centres in Sood’s ward.
For, community centres only in sectors 37 and 38 west with air conditioners would have rates of Rs 30,000 per day along with a refundable security of Rs 10,000. Even for short bookings, that is up to 4 hours, one would be charged Rs 5,000 here.
Sood said, “I agree that the rates should not be different for my ward but because there are many facilities here, the rates were kept slightly high. The halls are sound-proof and quite big. Even otherwise, it would be better because the pressure on this community centre would remain less because the rates here are high.”
It was Sood, the then chairman of the committee managing the community centres, who was pitching for a hike in rates of all the community centres up to Rs 30,000 last year. But after MP Kirron Kher’s intervention, the agenda was held back and now, a hike of up to Rs 20,000 has been proposed. But for Sood’s ward, the rates as proposed by him remain the same.
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