AAP criticise HM Amit Shah over ‘grand promises’ ahead of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls 

Chandigarh, Nov 2 (IANS) The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Chandigarh unit on Monday alleged that instead of addressing the city’s long-pending problems, the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah was limited to making grand promises ahead of Municipal Corporation elections. 

AAP city President Vijaypal Singh and councillors Anju Katyal and Deepa Dubey said Chandigarh residents had expected concrete decisions on housing board flats, ownership rights, Lal Dora properties, leasehold properties and rehabilitation colonies, but no clear solutions were announced. 

Vijaypal Singh said the people of Chandigarh had been waiting for years for solutions to their basic problems. He alleged that the Home Minister had presented no concrete plan or timeline during his visit that could offer residents any hope of relief. 

He questioned the purpose of the visit if the benefits promised to Chandigarh residents were to be delivered only through the Governor or the UT Administration. He accused the BJP of making fresh promises whenever elections approach without making serious efforts to fulfil them. 

He said the Home Minister’s visit had been publicised extensively, but residents were left disappointed, with no substantial relief announced for them. 

Vijaypal Singh also referred to the 24-hour water supply project in Manimajra. 

He questioned the project’s functioning, saying the results had not matched the expectations created by the extensive publicity and promises surrounding it. 

Citing an expenditure of approximately Rs 1,400 crore, he raised concerns about the project’s implementation and said residents had continued to face problems related to water availability and water quality. 

He described the project as an example of the BJP’s approach, in which announcements are made on a grand scale, but the promised benefits fail to reach people adequately on the ground. The AAP leaders also criticised the BJP over ownership rights for housing board flat owners. 

Vijaypal Singh recalled that in 2019 former Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher had stated at the UT Guest House that the Centre and the Union Home Ministry had approved the proposal to grant ownership rights to residents. 

He questioned why eligible residents were still waiting for these rights in 2026. He alleged that the BJP had once again remembered the issue only because the city’s civic body elections were approaching, while families who had waited for years continued to await a resolution.

The AAP leaders also expressed concern over fears of a colony near Dhanas being removed. They questioned why residents were facing the threat of displacement when thousands of houses were reportedly lying vacant, and why arrangements for rehabilitation and alternative accommodation had not been made beforehand. 

They said the possibility of families being rendered homeless during the festive season and the onset of winter was a serious concern. 

--IANS 

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