Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 30 Dec: Muncipal Corporator Robin Bhatt has again accused the Dehradun Municipal Commissioner of fostering corruption, reigniting a bitter feud that prompted a two-day strike by municipal officers and employees. Today, Robin Tyagi stormed into the corporation office and created a commotion, levelling serious allegations against Commissioner Namami Bansal. He claimed that corruption thrives in municipal tenders under her patronage and emphasised that his battle targets her specifically, alleging she mistreats Congress corporators to gain favour with the government.
It may be recalled that, on 23 December, when Congress councillors visited the corporation premises, a fierce argument had erupted between Tyagi, representing Ward Number 47 and Bansal. Tyagi staged a protest outside, accusing her of keeping elected representatives waiting and ignoring their phone calls. Congress Corporators claimed that Bansal took objection to his raised voice and directed him to leave her chamber.
Tyagi further alleged that the sanitation workers, on Bansal’s instructions, have halted cleaning in Ward 47, causing garbage to pile up across the area. He claimed that the employees are staying away from duties at her behest. He also claimed glaring disparities in budget allocations, noting that while some wards had manged to secure development works worth over Rs 70 lakhs each, his ward has received no development funds yet. Favoured councillors, he charged, secure budgets up to Rs 1 crore, whereas others are being capped at Rs 20 lakhs.
In the aftermath of the 23 December clash, the municipal officers and the employees had accused the Congress councillors of misbehaving with Bansal and had launched a strike that was called off after the discussions between Bansal and representatives of the three employee unions, allowing work to resume. Bansal has since announced the formation of an inquiry committee to probe the tenders issued during the corporation’s first board meeting.
