Municipal corporation order sparks controversy over development focus in Ludhiana West assembly constituency.

Ludhiana: A municipal directive assigning senior civic officials exclusively to Ludhiana's West constituency ahead of an upcoming assembly byelection has ignited a political backlash, with members of the Punjab opposition accusing the governing side, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), of manipulating civic resources for electoral gain.On Monday night, a letter from additional commissioner Paramdeep Singh detailed the deployment of five senior municipal corporation officers to oversee accelerated development in the West constituency — the focus of intense political activity currently. The officers have been tasked with resolving residents' grievances and ensuring the swift completion of civic works in the area.The letter reads that joint commissioners Ankur Mahindroo and Vaneet Kumar will oversee wards 53 to 60, while zonal commissioners Abhishek Sharma (Zone A), Neeraj Jain (Zone B), and Gurpal Singh (Zone C) have been assigned specific sets of wards between 61 and 73. Despite holding responsibilities across the city, these officers will now also serve the West constituency under direct supervision from additional commissioner Paramdeep Singh.The move has prompted sharp criticism from rival political parties. "It's unfair to deploy all key officials in one constituency while leaving the rest of Ludhiana neglected," said Rohit Sikka, deputy leader of the city's BJP councillors. "If public inconvenience rises during the monsoon, the administration should be held accountable." Former Shiromani Akali Dal legislator Ranjit Singh Dhillon also condemned the move, accusing the state's AAP govt of "crossing all limits" to secure victory in the bypoll. "Using administrative machinery like this will not fool the people again," he said.Former Congress councillor Mamta Ashu added fuel to the controversy on social media, sharing the letter and accusing the municipal corporation of catering solely to the West constituency. "What about the rest of the city? Will other MLAs stay silent yet again?" she wrote. Municipal commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal did not respond to queries about the directive, while senior deputy mayor Rakesh Prashar claimed no knowledge of the orders.SE-rank officials too put on taskThe civic authorities have issued schedule for patchwork in the wards of West constituency where officials of the rank of superintending engineer are also deputed to complete patchwork. This responsibility has come to SE Rahul Gagneja in Wards 62, 63 and 65, SE Praveen Singla in Wards 57, 58 and 59, SE Ranjit Singh in Ward 61, 64 and 69, and SE Sham Lal Gupta in Wards 53, 54, 55, 56, 60, 71, 72 and 73. They must complete the road patchwork in the their assigned wards by May 4.MSID:: 120729302 413 |