Chandigarh: Mohali Municipal Corporation
Mayor Kulwant Singh today said that he has not received any
show cause notice from the Punjab government for allegedly
causing loss to the state exchequer.
A government spokesperson yesterday said that Singh was
suspended for the alleged losses.
However, Punjab Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu
sought to clarify that there were no suspension orders against
the mayor but only a show cause notice was issued.
Talking to reporters in Mohali, the mayor today said that
he came to know about the issue through media that the state
government had, in an official press statement, mentioned that
he was suspended, but later another statement was issued in
which it was said that a show cause notice was issued against
him.
"The fact is that I have neither received any suspension
notice nor any show cause notice. I only came to know about
the issue through the media," Singh said.
He claimed that since "he had done no wrong, he was
consulting his lawyers and will file a defamation suit against
those who had tarnished his image".
"I will file a defamation suit because my image has been
tarnished. I am consulting my lawyers in this regard. We are
finding out who all are behind the entire thing and tarnished
my image," the mayor said.
Sidhu told reporters that the government had suspended
three other officials, including the Municipal Corporation
commissioner, in the matter of causing alleged financial
losses to the Municipal Corporation, Mohali.
"He (Kulwant) has been issued a show cause notice in
which we are saying why we (govt) should not be able to remove
you (Kulwant) as councillor," Sidhu said.
When asked that earlier it was mentioned in the official
press statement that the mayor was suspended, Sidhu replied,
"there are many things that come in the media, but later
things become clear."
When asked to respond to the allegations that a tree-
pruning machine was purchased by the municipal corporation at
an exorbitant rate, Singh rubbished the charge and denied any
corruption angle involved in this.
"All these charges are baseless. As this machine, which
will have multiple use, including in tree-pruning, garbage
dump cleaning, cleaning signboards etc, was purchased from
Germany, a part of the cost component was in paying duties,"
he said.
Meanwhile, the Mohali Municipal Corporation today passed
a resolution condemning the attempt to tarnish the image of
the mayor.
PTI
