Mayor Sushma Sharma and Deputy Mayor Gaurav Rajput assumed charge at the Solan Municipal Corporation on Thursday while the state government issued a notification in this regard later in the evening. The notification was awaited for the past two weeks for the three Municipal Corporations of Mandi, Dharamsala and Solan where the BJP had won. A notification, however, was issued for the Mandi MC on July 15 after the councillors moved court over the delay. After this development, the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor assumed charge at the Solan MC, pending the issuance of notification.

With no option left to stall the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor from assuming their offices, the Urban Development Department issued the requisite notification. The notification for the Palampur MC, where the Congress candidates had emerged victorious, was issued much earlier and the councillors had also convened their first general House on July 6. Thirteen development agendas pertaining to civic amenities, constitution of various committees, issuance of various no objection certificates by the civic body were pondered upon.

Shailendra Gupta, president of the BJP’s Solan city unit, termed the delay in the issuance of notification for the three civic bodies where the BJP had won elections as unconstitutional and undue interference by the state government.

Gupta had made a representation to the Governor on July 14, highlighting how the administrative functioning was suffering as the elected representatives could not discharge their duties. The working of the Solan civic body is now set to gather pace. Various developmental works had been suffering in the absence of ward representatives after the last House was dissolved on April 21. The elections were held on May 17 and the results were announced on May 31 while the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor were elected on July 2.

Civic amenities like garbage collection work was affected as one could see heaps of waste strewn around in the city throughout the day. Water supply, too, suffered in the absence of adequate check by the councillors in the past two months, giving rise to discontent mong the residents.

The Mayor and the Deputy Mayor stressed the need to ensure proper upkeep of civic amenities like water supply and waste management. They assured people that their problems like parking would be addressed and Central Government funds would be arranged for the development of the city.