PNS | DEHRADUN
Congress leaders submitted a seven-point demand letter to the newly elected Dehradun mayor Saurabh Thapliyal to address key civic issues in the city. A delegation of senior Congress leaders and newly elected Congress councillors along with Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee’s senior vice president Suryakant Dhasmana met Thapliyal in his office on Thursday. The delegation congratulated the mayor on his election victory and assumption of office.
During the meeting, Dhasmana reminded the mayor of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s election promise that no house in Dehradun’s slum settlements will be demolished. He appealed to the mayor to take immediate steps to initiate the process of regularising these settlements and to draft a comprehensive master plan for slum areas.
He said that this plan should include provisions for essential services such as water, electricity, roads, sanitation and healthcare facilities. Highlighting the city’s drainage problems, Dhasmana stressed that last year’s absence of a municipal board resulted in clogged drains, leading to severe waterlogging during the monsoon season. He also raised concerns about sanitation workers employed under contract labour agreements. He said that these workers had not been paid for five months which had significantly impacted garbage collection services in the city.
He demanded that outsourcing companies should be instructed to immediately clear pending salaries and ensure timely payments in the future. He assured that the Congress party will support the municipal board in its positive projects. However, he warned that any negligence in developmental work and public services will not be tolerated and the party will not hesitate to launch protests if required.
