CUTTACK: Tension ran high at Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) council meeting on Monday as Congress and BJP corporators created a ruckus over the civic body authorities’ “nepotism and corruption”.
At the outset, Congress corporators raised question as to why the name of sitting Barabati-Cuttack MLA Mohammed Moquim was not engraved in the three foundation stones which have been recently laid for carrying out different developmental works.
“It is a matter of regret that the sitting MLA was ignored even though the names of mayor, deputy mayor, commissioner and even the standing committee chairman appeared in the foundation stone. The mayor is playing nasty politics while the commissioner has turned to be an agent of ruling BJD,” alleged Congress corporator Santosh Bhol.
Bhol directed few questions to executive engineer D R Tripathy and then vehemently opposed mayor Subhas Singh and commissioner Nikhil Pavan Kalyan, when both started to answer his questions. The BJP corporators also backed the Congress members and raised voice against partisanship and corrupt practice of CMC mayor and commissioner while demanding audit report on Baliyatra income and expenditure.
“In the last council meeting the commissioner had committed to provide audit report on Baliyatra income and expenditure in this council meeting. But, instead of conducting an audit, the commissioner has started passing bills for payment. After the payments are done what will be the value of the audit?” questioned BJP corporator Gagan Ojha.
With the CMC authorities remaining firm on their stand, the corporators of BJP and Congress staged dharna inside the meeting hall and paralysed the proceedings. Later, all the 15 corporators left the meeting hall and staged hunger strike in front of CMC office demanding due respect and invitation to Moquim.
They also condemned the partisanship of mayor, commissioner and BJD corporators who held the council meeting in their absence citing their majority. “Few months back, the commissioner had misbehaved with a senior woman BJD corporator. At that time, we had extended support to BJD corporators and protested against him. The citizens will judge how far it was justified on the part of BJD corporators to hold council meeting in our absence,” they said. However, efforts to get a response on the issue from CMC mayor and commissioner proved futile.
