Gandhinagar, 22 January 2013

Can you imagine? Saurashtra’s Porbandar town is not ruled by anyone for last ten months!! As many as 800 employees are not paid their salaries!! The elected body has been unable to pass annual budgets for last three years!! The body removed by the state Urban development department, but new election is not happening because of the court case!!

Two years back, Congress and BJP both won same number of seats out of the total 42 seats of Porbandar Municipality. The Congress party guided by then local MLA and Gujarat Congress President Arjun Modhwadia however was successful to capture the power through political manipulations. But the Congress ruled Municipality couldn’t pass budget due to lack of majority. This happned not once, twice but thrice, and in this situation the Urban development department of Government of Gujarat had to intervene and the elected body was superseded. The Congress men challenged this order in the Gujarat High Court.

Following the High Court order, the Urban development ministry called all Municipal Councillors to Gandhinagar for hearing on 18 January, but Congress men sought more time and therefore a new date was fixed as 31st January.

BJP has alleged that Congress party is obstructing the development of Porbandar by delaying the Municipality election.

City BJP President Chandreshbhai Samani, General Secretary Hiteshbhai Thakrar, Arjanbhai Bhutiya, City BJP Vice President Narendrasinh Rana have alleged that Congress is now in position to not get even ten seats compare to 21 seats it won in the last election. Thanks to this, the Congress party is seeking more time from the Urban development ministry and delaying the procedures! Congress party should actually sincerely make a way for earlier election, the local BJP leaders said.

This political tangle has resulted into a situation where there’s no one ruling the Porbandar Municipality! There’s not even an administrator’s rule! And the situation is as it is since March 2012.

The cleaning staff has not been given salary for last three months and therefore the streets are flooding with garbage! More than 800 staff members of municipality are without salary since last November! Thanks to their representation before the state minister and newly elected local BJP MLA Babubhai Bokhiria, district Collector Shri Jayantkumar Sevak has recently used his special power and settled at least last one month salary of the staff.

🗃️ This story is from our archives and may contain outdated information.