Ranchi: Politicking over stalled ULB election, BJP MP to raise issue with Centre

RANCHI: Politicking over the stalled urban local body elections continued on Tuesday as Ranchi’s BJP MP Sanjay Seth promised to meet Union minister for housing and urban affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, in a bid to compel the JMM-led coalition government to conduct the polls at the earliest.
Seth met a delegation of former ward councillors of Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), whose tenures ended on April 28.
As many as 14 former ward councillors flagged the problems being faced by the residents of their respective areas and claimed that the government officials who were running the day-to-day administration of the civic body failed to address the woes of the people.
“If elections are not held immediately, several services will be hindered. People will be unable to enjoy the benefits of widow pension, PMAY (urban), ration cards and other services. I will meet the Union minister and seek his intervention so that the Centre compels the state to conduct the polls,” Seth said.
The meeting came a day after the delegation met BJP state chief Deepak Prakash and flagged their concerns.
“Heaps of garbage are piling up on the streets and the IAS officers who are running RMC are not visiting the localities. Street lights are out of order in many areas and the residents do not know whom to approach. We are flooded with applications and calls. Though we are no longer councillors, we are still attending to the citizens,” Roshni Khalko, a former ward councillor, said.
Arun Jha, another former councillor, said: “In residential pockets such as ward numbers 26, 27, 28 and 29, people are running pillar to post to get water and there is no one to address their problems. Ward councillors are elected representatives who act as the first touch point for the people.”