The MC House meeting, chaired by Mayor Rampal Uppal today, observed heated exchanges, noisy scenes and commotion after Congress councillors staged a dharna on the floor of the House, protesting against what they described as increasing corruption and the Mayor's dictatorial style of functioning.
Congress councillors Sanjeev Bugga, Taranjit Singh Walia and Jatinder Vermani strongly objected to the conduct of the proceedings. Led by Bugga, the protesting councillors alleged that the Mayor was ignoring the views of chosen representatives and pushing agenda items without taking the House into confidence. They also questioned the Mayor's repeated claims that all agenda items had been passed unanimously, asserting that there was no consensus on several matters and that their objections were not being given due consideration.
In spite of the noisy protests and objections raised by the Congress councillors, Uppal maintained that all eight agenda items had been passed unanimously. The contrasting claims over the manner in which the resolutions were adopted became a major point of confrontation during the meeting.
Bugga also levelled serious allegations of corruption and called for accountability over MC's functioning. MC Commissioner Randeep Singh Heer remained present during the proceedings. Apart from the political confrontation, the House had multiple significant administrative and civic matters on its agenda, including the proposed regularisation of outsourced staff under the Punjab State Outsource Personnel (Transition to the Contractual Engagement) Act, 2026, municipal property issues, fire brigade staffing and a key sewerage infrastructure project.
The employment-related agenda covered the scrutiny of 134 outsourced staff and a separate batch of 83 personnel. Their cases had been examined by the office-level screening committee in accordance with the state legislation and prescribed eligibility conditions, including the May 30, 2026 cut-off date. The matter was placed before the House for consideration, with eligibility subject to verification of service records and applicable administration instructions.The agenda also included a municipal property dispute involving shops numbered 666 and 486 and plot number 34, besides a proposal concerning a 2,500-square-foot municipal site near the Gaushala and veterinary hospital.Another vital item concerned the continuation of eight outsourced fire brigade personnel to ensure adequate manpower for emergency services.The House also considered a key sewerage and drainage infrastructure proposal for Gaushala Bazaar, near the old abandoned sewer disposal facility close to Jain Model School. The mooted project includes storm sewerage amenities, an RCC NP sewer line, a Main Pumping Station, transformer yard and diesel generator set, at an estimated cost of ₹672.55 lakh (about ₹6.73 crore).While Mayor Uppal maintained that all agenda items had been passed unanimously, the Congress councillors' protests and objections raised questions over the conduct of the proceedings and the claimed unanimity. The allegations of corruption and procedural irregularities levelled by the opposition councillors remain their claims and warrant examination by the competent officials.
