Chandigarh Motorcycle Club is considering lighting up side lanes in sectors

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For the first time, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) plans to install lights in all the bylanes in various sectors of Chandigarh to prevent theft and other illegal activities in these dark spots.

Estimated cost ₹8.19 crore, the proposal will be placed for discussion and approval in the next general meeting of the MC House on Tuesday.

In the proposal, MC officials said, “Currently, there is no light in the side lanes of the city, due to which there is darkness at night, creating fears of thefts and other illegal activities in these dark places in residential areas. The area councillors had requested in the past to install lights in these side lanes for illumination. Considering the requests, the matter was taken up with the higher authorities and a plan was drawn up. As per the plan, the cable will be laid on the surface of the wall as digging in the back lanes is difficult.”

Apart from this, the MC also plans to change the terms and conditions of allotment of kiosks at Night Food Street, Sector 14, opposite PGIMER. Since two of the four kiosks are currently vacant, the MC plans to start the e-auction process at the earliest, but with revised rules.

“To ensure quick response to complaints regarding overpricing of food items, it is necessary to provide a WhatsApp number for lodging complaints regarding overpricing by the licensee. Further, to ensure that the licensee does not overcharge, it is necessary to install a notice board at Night Food Street displaying the price list (approved by the MC) to the customers. Further, the licensee has to obtain all kinds of permissions from the concerned departments for running the kiosks, i.e. food safety license, etc. and submit the same to the MC within 45 days from the date of issue of allotment letter, failing which the allotment will be cancelled and the security amount will be forfeited. Further, the licensee has to pay all taxes, i.e. property tax/penalty, if any, levied by any department for negligence in running the said kiosk and the licensor shall not be liable for any third party claim arising in connection with the said kiosk,” the MC suggested.

To ensure better food quality and greater competition, MC will ensure that participation in the auction is open to all applicants.

Other matters to be placed before the House include a proposal to provide disabled-friendly infrastructure at Fragrance Garden, Sector 36; renovation of water supply to government buildings in Sector 20-C; and extension of contract for transportation, treatment and disposal of sanitary waste from MRF centres, among others.

Better storm drainage in Sector 43, Ram Darbar also in progress

The MC will also shelve its plan to strengthen the storm water drainage system to efficiently remove rainwater at various places in Sector 43 and Ram Darbar. However, residents can expect relief from flooding only next year during the monsoon.

Since the onset of monsoon in Chandigarh on July 1, every time it rains, flooding can be observed in various parts of the city. Residents of the northern sectors of Chandigarh get some respite as the drainage system of sectors 1 to 30 is designed to cope with 25 mm of rain per hour, but in the southern sectors, flooding is visible in every corner as the drainage system can cope with only 15 mm of rain per hour.

To address this, the MC has started laying storm water drains on Vikas Marg, from Sector 40 to 42. However, the work is still in progress.

In the proposal, MC officials said, “During the last rainy season, numerous complaints were received regarding stagnation of rainwater at various places in Sector 43, Chandigarh. Subsequently, the area was inspected and it was found that the existing drainage system in front of the Community Centre, Shishu Niketan School, near houses no. 149 to 158 and at the back of ISBT-43 sector was completely blocked/filled with silt, which completely blocked the lines and caused obstruction in drainage of rainwater. The present situation leads to accumulation of rainwater on the road up to a depth of 2 feet, causing inconvenience to both motorists and pedestrians. In order to alleviate the problem of residents, it is necessary to lay SWD pipelines in the affected areas to alleviate the problem of water stagnation.”

“Complaints were received about non-functional SWD lines in Ram Darbar and on inspection, it was found that the existing SWD pipelines and machine hole chambers were damaged and required provision of additional drainage lines in the affected area. The accumulated rainwater is entering the properties of the residents and creating problems for them,” officials said.

Proposal for ₹1.06 crore for sector 43 and ₹1.14 crore has been prepared for Ram Darbar, but the work will be completed only in the next monsoon. Hence, residents of these areas will continue to face flooding this year.

MC financial panel will meet tomorrow

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation will hold a Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC) meeting on Monday to discuss various development-related issues, which are given below. ₹An amount of Rs 50 lakh will be discussed for approval.

The agenda includes renovation of public toilet block in Sector 37-D, specialist electrical repair at Cremation Ground in Industrial Area, Phase 1, decorative lighting system at the market in Sector 30 and installation of street lights at various locations to name a few.

The MC will also propose to reserve all commercial land in the city through e-auctions. “There are three commercial lands in the city — Housing Board Manimajra, Circus Ground in Sector 17 and Exhibition Ground in Sector 34, from which a handsome income is generated through reservations. It has been experienced that Exhibition Ground in Sector 34 is in high demand during the festival season and reservations for the period from August to December are made through e-auctions to fetch the maximum amount. Hence, the proposal has been moved to reserve all commercial lands through e-auctions for every year from January 1 to December 31.”