A municipal commissioner gives his town clear skies and clean roads

A municipal commissioner gives his town clear skies and clean roads
RAMANINDER K. BHATIA

LUDHIANA, NOVEMBER 19: Once Ludhiana was a dirty town. Its drains overflowed, vehicles crammed the narrow roads, hoardings hid the skyline, pollution and filth ruled the roost. People compared it with pre-plague Surat.

Until Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu happened to the town. Ever since Sandhu, a 1988-batch, UP cadre IAS officer, took over the reins of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (LMC) two years ago, the city's landscape has changed.

Two flyovers, bridges, a multi-level parking complex, green belts, four-laned roads... some of the projects have been completed, few are about to be completed. The city area which falls under the MC is well lit at night, bus shelters have come up everywhere. Open garbage dumps are being replaced with underground disposal units and roads swept at night.

``Sandhu has done a good job and the development work has picked up under his leadership,'' says Dr S S Johl, former Vice Chancellor of Punjabi University and a member of Agriculture Price Commission member. Adds Sohan Lal Pahwa of Avon Cycles: ``No one has done what this man has been able to achieve in so short a time. You can see the change everywhere, good roads, wide footpaths, cleanliness... and all in a short span of time.''

The LMC has now managed to secure a Rs 150-crore loan from HUDCO to improve the sewerage system. The corporation has already upgraded the waterdistribution system.

Before Sandhu came, atleast 50 per cent of the city dwellers did not have sewerage connection and 40 per cent of the population had no access to the LMC's water supply scheme. Sandhu has now involved the local population -- he calls them stake holders -- in mohalla sanitation and park management committees. No wonder the city looks better now.

How did Sandhu manage to turn around the functioning of the cash-starved corporation?

On his first day as commissioner, he was served a 24-hour ultimatum by the Safai Karamchari Union which threatened to go on strike if their pending arrears were not paid. Sandhu asked them to extend the deadline to 48 hours. He paid 50 per cent of the outstandings before the deadline ended. Four months later, the balance was paid. ``Genuine demands of the staff should be immediately met to take the steam out of confrontation,'' he says.

``There were no incentives for good workers and no punishments for shirkers. Now we give cash rewards for those who achieve more than the fixed targets, like the ones in octroi branch and house tax collection. Others who can't be paid in cash are rewarded with favourable entries and are honoured in house meetings,'' says Sandhu.

The steps have worked wonders.

The octroi collection has almost doubled. With single window system introduced for payment of bills, complaints and redressal, the LMC's financial fortunes have improved. The corporation now spends an impressive 60 percent on development.

The ultimate compliment came from one of the union leaders. ``We initially thought this man was out to create trouble for us. However, he has now shown us the way to a self-respecting living,'' he said.

Sandhu has managed to convince even the political class. When he ordered largescale demolitions in the city to reclaim property worth Rs 350 crore spread over 250 acres, political parties were incensed. More than 500 court cases were filed during the operation which lasted over a month. Sandhu told the leaders even though the move may displease the 3,000 plus encroachers, they would earn the gratitude of the city's 20 lakh population. The leaders were convinced.

Sandhu's day at office begins at 9 am and ends past mid-night. Review meetings are held with senior officials every Monday when work is allotted and reviewed. He even invite consultants to assess the corporation's functioning. The most recent one being a survey on consumer satisfaction which exposed many problems. ``There is a solution to every problem,'' he says. His work so far, substantiates his point.