Chandigarh: High drama marked the municipal corporation’s general house meeting Monday as allegations of financial irregularities in an ₹80-lakh CCTV project in Dhanas triggered a political row, prompting MC commissioner Amit Kumar to order an inquiry.The controversy began with BJP councillor and former mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla alleging inflated costs in the project and demanding a CBI probe. She claimed around 50 CCTV cameras had been installed at a cost of nearly ₹80 lakh, contrasting it with 32 cameras she said she had installed in her ward for ₹2.5 lakh from personal funds.Questioning the expenditure, Babla accused officials of irregularities. MC officials, however, defended the project, saying costs vary depending on specifications and that optical fibre cabling had significantly added to the overall expense.The issue escalated after it emerged that the ₹80-lakh expenditure had been made from ward development funds, despite guidelines barring their use for CCTV installations. The revelation united councillors across party lines, who questioned how an exception was granted.BJP councillor Kanwar Rana sought to know on whose approval the deviation was allowed. Officials said the project was undertaken in consultation with police, citing Dhanas as a sensitive area requiring enhanced surveillance.The explanation failed to convince members, who argued that other areas facing law-and-order challenges had been denied similar projects.Amid the uproar, the commissioner directed the special commissioner to conduct a detailed probe and submit a report within a week.The house also passed a resolution seeking greater powers for councillors in utilisation of ward funds and called for revising existing guidelines, terming them outdated.House erupts over BJP chief’s remarksProceedings were further disrupted over controversial remarks by city BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra on Punjabis. Congress councillors stormed the well, demanding an apology and his resignation. They were joined by AAP members and some BJP councillors.Joining via video conferencing, BJP councillor Kuljit Singh Sandhu criticised Malhotra for referring to Punjabis as “emotional bloody fools” and sought his removal, alleging disconnect with grassroots workers.The twin issues led to repeated disruptions and heated exchanges during the meeting.KEY AGENDAS IN HOUSEParking policy: Tender for 89 MC parking sites deferred; proposed fee hike stalledSector 8 parking: Reconstruction plan put on holdLicence fee hike: Proposal to revise charges for hedges/fences rejectedWard funds: House seeks greater say for councillors, review of old normsProjects cleared: Leisure Valley upgrade and other development works approved
