BJP sources said the party would issue a mandate for the posts of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Standing Committee chairman only hours before the General Board meeting.

While the Board meeting will be held at 5 pm, the chairman will be elected in the Committee meeting at 4 pm.

Party observers Bhupendrasinh Solanki and Amit Shah, who met party councillors earlier this week, were expected to submit the report to State BJP leaders by Saturday.

Encroachments: The encroachment removal drive continued with the demolition of unauthorised structures in the town planning road on the Waghodia Road on Saturday.

Deputy Municipal Corporation (Administration) H S Patel said slum residents had constructed unauthorised structures on the 13.5 meter town planning road opposite Mahalaxmi Society.

Three unauthorised shops over 500 feet on the town planning road opposite Meghdoot Apartment, 35-feet-long compound wall, 60-feet-long wired fencing and one room between Vrindavan crossroads and Mahesh Complex and another 100-meter-long unauthorised compound wall of the Dashalad Wadi was also razed.

Under the supervision of ward officer Rahul Bhatt, unauthorised wall constructed by two blocks of Madhavpark Society on the Laxmipura Road were also demolished, he added.

Illegal connections: The engineering wing has swung into action by disconnecting water connections with the reports of mixing of sewage due to drainage leakage with potable water in several parts of the city. According to reports, more than 25 water connections have been disconnected in the city.

A VMC spokesman said several water connections near Rokadnath Hanuman temple, Nava Bazaar were disconnected. Similarly, 14 connections have been cut off in Panjrigar Maholla of Fatehpura. In Motivorhwad area, two drainage pipelines have been changed following leakage. He further said corrective measures were being taken in Gorwa Jankinagar, Swaminarayannagar, Kharvawad, Shamaldas Falia. Following few cases of suspected cholera, drainage lines have been cleaned in administrative ward number 2. The health teams have distributed ORS packets and chlorine tablets in the affected areas, particularly in the eastern part of the city. The public analyst has taken 2,800 water samples between July 13 and 17. The Corporation has asked the citizens to drink boiled water.

For any complaint of water contamination, the residents have been asked to contact the ward offices.

Donations: Students of schools run by the Municipal School Board have donated more than Rs 4 lakh in the Mayor's Relief Fund for the cyclone-hit of Gujarat.

A VMC spokesman said two lakh cards were distributed to municipal and private school students, who collected the money from residents from different parts of the city. Private school students have also collected more than Rs 4 lakh.