Chandigarh, Nov 29: The Chandigarh MC House has pushed the city’s ambitious 24×7 water supply project back to the Union housing and urban affairs ministry (MOHUA) for a detailed review, delaying a final decision after a stormy discussion on Friday.
Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla told the House that an external evaluation is necessary in view of the sharp escalation in cost and gaps flagged in the Manimajra pilot. “The ministry will study the funding pattern and feasibility. Once we have their report, the House can take an informed call,” she said.
The project, cleared in 2022 for ₹576 crore with support from a French agency, now carries an estimated cost of ₹1,741.28 crore. Friday’s agenda noted that technical audits and financial scrutiny suggest the corporation needs a more realistic, data-backed model before proceeding.
Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi said the corporation should withdraw the plan entirely. “This is a white elephant and will only burden the MC. There are too many ifs and buts. We should instead bring a proposal to replace old water pipelines,” he said.
Deputy mayor Taruna Mehta said the project “failed miserably” and questioned why the corporation should continue defending it. Former mayor Anoop Gupta of the BJP said the House had only been given a status update and should receive the full proposal before voting.
A similar debate in September ended with the House rejecting a motion to scrap the project.
Congress and AAP councillors halted proceedings after demanding an apology from Chandigarh BJP chief JP Malhotra for allegedly calling colony residents “anpadh” in a press briefing. The councillors carried placards, shouted slogans and gathered in the well of the House. “He is not even present. Whom do you want to apologise?” Mayor Babla asked, adding that the remark was not made in that sense.
Responding to opposition claims that development work was being stalled in their wards, Babla said, “I called a meeting last week and the opposition, except one councillor, boycotted it. Congress and AAP are not interested in development of the city.”
BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi said M/s Lion’s Services Agency, which held the ₹264-crore sanitation contract for 2017–2021-22, has been receiving extensions year after year without competitive bidding. He said the practice has weakened accountability and added financial pressure on the MC.
The House cleared 30 agendas, including door-to-door garbage collection in 13 villages and Manimajra’s commercial area, re-carpeting of roads, expanding GIS-based sweeping to southern sectors, installing signages on V4 roads, a one-time property tax settlement for charitable and public institutions, and e-auctioning 75 advertising sites.
