TV
Sparks flew at the meeting of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) on Monday when Congress corporators created a ruckus, alleging unfair and arbitrary allotment of pindis (platforms for sale) to traders at Chhatrabazar Urban Haat. The Congress corporators surrounded Mayor Subash Singh and the CMC Commissioner and bandied words over the issue.
The upset corporators also staged a sit-in over the issue.
As per reports, the Congress corporators alleged that a committee had been formed to ensure transparency in the allotment of pindis, but it was not taken into confidence and pindis were allotted to traders at the Mayor’s will. They demanded clarification from the mayor for doing such allotment of pindis.
Congress corporator Santosh Bhola alleged that the needy traders have not got pindis. “As a result, the official who had visited the market was heckled by traders. The traders have been given tokens by the mayor. We have information that an official has taken Rs 20,000 each from traders for the allotment of pindis. However, the mayor says no allotment has been made,” Bhola added.
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Corroborating Bhola, Congress corporator Subasish Patnaik said, “The Urban Haat at Chhatrabazar is all mess. The Committee was not called for allotment of pindis. We raised the Pindi allotment issue and wanted to know the reason for not consulting the committee members before the allotment. The mayor, however, denied allotting pindis to traders.”
As for the issue Mayor Subash Singh said, “No pindis have been allotted with tokens. An administrative committee has been formed while the ADM, the additional commissioner, ACPs, elected representatives like us, the members of the Chhatrabazar Chambers of Commerce, and functionaries of Chhatrabazar Puja Committee are a part of it. The committee will decide on allotments. Over 400 traders have been identified for allotment through surveys. We will not allow traders along the roadsides.”
