Corporators in power struggle

hyderabad: having failed to gain control over the building approval process, some corporators are now crossing swords with mch commissioner chitra ramachandran, demanding the power to sanction projects. corporators want to be vested with the power to sanction works worth up to rs 30 lakh, something even the commissioner does not have as per the statute.they also want the power to nominate contractors. despite there being clear provisions against such proposals, the barkatpura ward committee passed a unanimous resolution and submitted it to the standing committee and the mch commissioner for endorsement. according to the statute, the commissioner is empowered to sanction works worth rs 20 lakh. for works costing more, the standing committee’s approval is necessary. only the commissioner is empowered to nominate contractors for any work that costs less than rs 10,000. except in case of a natural calamity, works cannot be allotted on a nomination basis. “i am not authorised to empower the corporators and cannot delegate my powers to them. if the law allows it, who am i to stop the corporators if they follow the law,� ramachandran said. the corporators contend that the standing committee can pass a resolution in support of their proposals. barkatpura ward committee chairman b venkat reddy said the resolution was passed only to avoid delays in sanctioning funds, preparing estimates and executing works. “if we select a contractor through tenders, he may act according to his wishes. if we have the power to nominate a contractor, we will select a local person and ensure quality of work,� he argued. however, the mim and congress are opposed to such a system. mim corporator ahmed bin balala said they were not bothered who executed the work. “we just want development of our wards. the officials can decide on the contractor,� he said. standing committee chairman m madhu too opposed the demand for delegating nomination powers to corporators, contending that it would open the door for corruption. “a corporator may nominate his relatives to execute the work. it will be difficult to ensure proper utilisation of funds,� he said. chitra ramachandran said she would continue to explain the statute to the corporators and ruled out any deviation from what is lawful.