Ludhiana: Two MC projects worth ₹1,245 crore have come under legal scrutiny after three councillors moved the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking to quash the tender process and the Oct 10 House proceedings.The joint petition filed by councillors Arun Sharma, Iqbal Singh, and Bhupinder Kaur challenges an ₹81.5-crore deep-cleaning contract for 697 km of roads and an eight-year solid waste management contract valued at ₹1,164 crore.The petitioners alleged that the ₹81.5-crore deep-cleaning project was approved without a specific budgetary provision. They also questioned the inclusion of high-pressure water-jet washing, citing a Sept 9 expert report from the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, which advised against regular washing of bituminous roads and recommended vacuum or manual sweeping instead.Additionally, the councillors questioned hiring a private contractor when the MC had already purchased road vacuum sweepers worth ₹4.6 crore, while also objecting to the bidding process and the post-bid preparation of a draft service agreement.Regarding the Oct 10 House meeting, the petition alleged that the projects were declared passed despite objections over the required majority. The petitioners further claimed that protesting councillors were forcibly removed from the House, an incident they said was recorded on CCTV and media cameras.The high court is yet to adjudicate on the allegations.
