Panchkula Mayor Upinder Ahluwalia
Why the five-year tenure remained controversial and several development works remained stuck?
In the initial two years, there were a lot of development works — street lights reached villages, libraries were built in community centres and what not. But after the BJP came to power in Haryana, they didn’t allow any development work to be done. They didn’t want that we should get any credit. I was always focused on the quality of the work. When people are paying tax, why shouldn’t they be given good quality of services? I got samples of road checked. In the initial two years, corruption in MC came down by 50 per cent because of me.
Why were you constantly at loggerheads with the MLA? There were only 18 house meetings in the entire five-year tenure.
Yes, I was at loggerheads with him because he wouldn’t allow any officer to clear any file of development work. Even for road construction, we protested time and again, and that is how the roads were recarpeted in the last year of our tenure. As far as meetings are concerned, he had asked the officers to boycott the meetings so that no agenda items are passed.
MLA blames that it was because of you that eight Commissioners were changed.
Government has the power of transfer. Except for two officers who were tainted, whichever officer began working, they would transfer him because they didn’t want that any development work should go in the kitty of Congress. Before this incumbent Commissioner joined, 100 files of various works were stuck. Now he’s cleared most of the files.
Do you thing because most councillors owed allegiance to Congress that the BJP didn’t cooperate?
This is an obvious reason but I always worked above party lines. I have to see what residents of my city want. But the MLA chose to get the work stuck instead of development for people. Facilities to Panchkula people were not important for him.
How would you rate the complete tenure of the MC?
In the kind of opposition we worked, I would like to give 10 out of 10 to us. We fought, protested only to get facilities for Panchkula residents. Without fear, we worked in a determined way.