HC notices to Navjot Sidhu, Cabinet Minister and others for interfering in functioning of Municipal Corporation, Phagwara...
Spokesman News Service: Chandigarh-December 20-12-18: HC Bench comprising Justice Jitendra Chauhan today issued notices for 28th March, 2019 to Caabinet Minister, Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Punjab Government, Additional Chief Secretary, Local Bodies department, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Phagwara, Ex-Cabinet Minister Joginder Singh Mann, Harjit Singh, General Secretary, Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee, and two Municipal Counselors of Congress, in a Civil Writ Petition filed by Arun Khosla, Mayor of Municipal Corporation, Phagwara.
The petitioner, who is working as a Mayor of MC, Phagwara, has alleged in the Writ Petition that Cabinet Minister, Navjot Sidhu visited Phagwara on 21ST April, 2017, and set up a four member committee, comprising (i) Joginder Singh Maan, Ex-Cabinet Minister; (ii) S. Harjit Singh Parmar, General Secretary, Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee; (iii) Sh. Sanjiv Sharma, Councilor Ward No. 5, Municipal Corporation, Phagwara; and (iv) S. Satvir Singh Walia, Senior Congress Leader, Phagwara for inquiring into transactions of conferring of ownership rights on tenants under a policy.
Navjot Singh Sidhu
The Commissioner called a meeting of this totally unconstitutional committee, which studied a report submitted by Assistant Commissioner, and took certain decisions, which were duly forwarded by the Commissioner to the Additional Chief Secretary, Local Bodies, for implementation. The Committee held another meeting and discussed various projects which were approved by the Municipal Corporation, and conducted physical verification of sewer and water lines, and submitted its report.
Various officers of Municipal Corporation were also present in those meetings. The petitioner has contended that Committees set up by Minister were unconstitutional and illegal, as any such Committees can be set up only by the Municipal Corporation under Section 42 of the PUNJAB Municipal Corporation Act, 1976. The petitioner has also alleged that the Minister is showing total discourtesy to him (Mayor), and is directly inaugurating projects funded by the Municipal Corporation.
Even the Commissioner is permitting the local Congress leaders to inaugurate various projects of the Municipal Corporation. Regarding conduct of the Cabinet Minister, the petitioner has alleged that he (Navjot Sidhu) inaugurated a Multi level Parking in Phagwara on 15th June, 2018. The invitation cards for the function did not contain the name of the petitioner, whereas the name of “Joginder Singh Mann, District President Congress Committee, Kapurthala”, was printed on the invitation cards, for presiding over the function. Thus, the Cabinet Minister was showing discourtesy to the elected Mayor.
Municipal Corporation Phagwara
The petitioner has also alleged that under various provisions of Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, the Commissioner is bound to provide any document, information or report regarding the projects funded by the Municipal Corporation, but the Commissioner is not even responding to various such requisitions made by him, in his capacity as Mayor.
The petitioner has, inter-alia, prayed that (i) Cabinet Minister be restrained from constituting Committees in unconstitutional manner; and two reports submitted by the Committee set up by him be quashed; (ii) Cabinet Minister be directed to show due courtesy to the Mayor, including for inaugurating various development projects funded by the Municipal Corporation; and (iii) the Government should take action against the Commissioner for violation of the various provisions of the Municipal Corporation Act, 1976; and that he be also directed to properly respond to the letters of the Mayor.
