By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 4 Aug: The board meeting of the Mussoorie Municipal Council held on Tuesday was disrupted by an uproar right at the start. Councillor Sachin Guher began a sit-in protest in the middle of the House to contest allegations of financial impropriety levelled against him. Soon, several other councillors joined the protest in his support, bringing the board meeting proceedings to a complete halt and creating a highly charged atmosphere in the House.
Councillors Pawan Thalwal, Vishal Kharola, Amit Bhatt, Gauri Thapliyal, Ruchita Gupta, Babita Mall, and Shivani Bharti joined Sachin Guher in the sit-in. All the councillors demanded an impartial inquiry into the allegations and a public clarification of the entire matter. They argued that tarnishing the image of any public representative without a proper investigation was unjust.
Amidst the commotion, voices were also raised against Tourism In-charge Chandra Prakash (CP) Badoni. Some councillors demanded his resignation, raising questions regarding revenue generated from the barrier and alleged financial irregularities. Councillors from the ruling and opposition factions clashed over this issue, leading to a heated exchange of words in the House. Proceedings were disrupted for some time due to the escalating dispute.
Observing the deteriorating situation, Tourism In-charge Chandra Prakash Badoni offered to resign from his post. Subsequently, the atmosphere calmed down, and the protesting councillors called off their sit-in. The board meeting proceedings then resumed, and discussions were held regarding various development works and other proposals. Following the meeting, Tourism In-charge Chandra Prakash Badoni stated that he had offered to resign from his post out of respect for the councillors and the entire board. He clarified that revenue from the municipality’s barrier had consistently increased during his tenure and that there had been no fraud or financial irregularities in the barrier’s operations. He affirmed that he would not shy away from accountability should any wrongdoing come to light during an investigation. He noted that the final decision rested with the Municipal Council President and that he was prepared to step down if required, emphasising that he would not tolerate any irregularities.
Meanwhile, Municipal Council President Meera Saklani stated that certain councillors had levelled allegations regarding financial transactions against the Tourism In-charge. She assured that an impartial inquiry would be conducted into the entire matter and that any further action or decisions would be considered only after the investigation report was received. She remarked that it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions without facts and reiterated that the matter would be investigated with full transparency.
