Mayor’s ‘revadi’: Where did her development fund go? To favourites, fellow party councillors’ wards

It is almost seven months since BJP’s Sarabjit Kaur was elected as Mayor. Even as Chandigarh Aam Aadmi Party councillors got majority of its councillors elected, that is 14 in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls, the BJP managed to make its Mayor as one vote was declared invalid in the polls. One councillor joined the BJP from the Congress before the mayoral polls and another joined later, increasing the total count of BJP councillors to 14. Now both AAP and BJP have 14 councillors each of the total 35.

As seven months of Kaur’s Mayoral term are already over, The Indian Express takes a look at the areas where her discretionary fund went to.

The major portion of fund was given to the ward of Harpreet Babla, wife of Chandigarh BJP vice-president Devinder Singh Babla. They both had joined the BJP from the Congress before the polls. A sum of Rs 40.35 lakh was given to to Babla’s ward. A total of Rs 82.08 lakh has been given only to BJP councillors’ wards.

Funds amounting to Rs 4.15 lakh were given for open-air gym/fitness equipment in a park at the rear of house number 3001, Sector 29-D, Chandigarh; funds of Rs 13.61 lakh were given for the work of providing and laying 60 mm thick interlocking paver blocks after dismantling old PCC tiles in front of house numbers 1 to 18, Sector 27, Chandigarh; and funds of Rs 22.59 lakh were given for decorative LED lights in Sector 28 C-D and Sector 27 — all for the ward of Babla.

Then funds were given for the ward of another BJP councillor. Funds of Rs 21.32 lakh were given for construction work of cement concrete walking track near house number 622, Milk Colony, Dhanas, and 1,160, Chaman Colony, Dhanas, and special repair of cement concrete and paver track in various parks of Dhanas and this ward is part of BJP councillor Kuljeet Singh Sandhu’s area.

Funds of Rs 7.28 lakh were given for the work of construction of public toilet in green belt of Sector 44 AB near government school – again for BJP councillor Jasmanpreet Singh’s ward. According to the data, funds of Rs 13.13 lakh were given for BJP’s Anup Gupta’s ward where money was allocated for work of providing 40 watt LED lighs adjoining New Public School, green belt in sector 18 A, B and Sector 19-D, Chandigarh. Anup Gupta is also Deputy Mayor of Chandigarh.

Only in two sectors, funds of Rs 24.46 lakh were given to the Congress’s Sachin Galav’s ward for providing lights in green belt adjoining V3 road in sector 2/11 and sector 11/12, Sector 11, Chandigarh, and work of providing and fixing of hut with pipe bench in park near house number 5256 in Sector 38 west for Rs 1.65 lakh were given for Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat’s ward.

No funds for AAP Councillors’ wards

According to the data analysed by The Indian Express, none of the works for which funds were given from the Mayor’s development funds was given to AAP councillors’ wards. AAP councillor Manaur said that he had written a letter two months ago both to the Mayor and Senior Deputy Mayor seeking Rs 16 lakh each for paver blocks and tiles in his ward.

“I will have to check whether they allocated funds. As per my knowledge, they had assured me to give funds from their development funds,” Manaur said.

On this, leader of opposition and AAP councillor Yogesh Dhingra told The Indian Express, “In fact, we don’t consider her the Mayor because we all know how the Mayor was elected by declaring the vote invalid which wasn’t the case. The case is still in the court.”

What does Mayor have to say?

When asked about the allocation of money from the Mayor’s development fund to mostly BJP councillors’ wards, Mayor Sarabjit Kaur told The Indian Express, “These people don’t come to my office to seek funds. I don’t understand their mindset and what prestige issue they have made that they don’t want funds from Mayor because she is from BJP. I have told them several times — and even in the House — that everyone, irrespective of the parties they are from, is welcome to take the Mayor development fund. That is the reason I have still kept part of the fund and not exhausted it. If they are willing to come forward, I will allocate for their wards too. Else, if I give the other councillors who come to me then they all will make an issue that I have allocated all my fund to BJP councillors. In this House meeting again, I will reiterate that everyone, be it AAP or Congress, is welcome to take funds from me. I have never refused anything on account of development in the city.”