Bhopal News: Uproar In BMC Council Meet As BJP, Congress Unite Over Deputations, Tenders

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) council meeting held on Thursday at the ISBT campus witnessed sharp exchanges among corporators over deputation, recruitment, and the tender process.

The session turned tense when Congress corporator Mohammad Aziz demanded that deputed officials, Additional Commissioner Devendra Singh Chauhan and Assistant Commissioner Ekta Agrawal, be sent back to their parent departments.

Surprisingly, BJP corporators supported the demand, and both sides called for an end to the deputation system altogether.

Despite the uproar, the proposal to supply 2 MLD of water to the EMC factory at Bandikhedi was passed by a majority vote. During the question hour, corporators from both ruling and opposition parties raised concerns over tender procedures, recruitment drives, pension delays, and the city s bus service.

Commissioner Sanskriti Jain assured the members that all matters would be handled according to the rules. The meeting, chaired by BMC Chairman Kishan Suryavanshi, occasionally turned heated but was conducted in an orderly manner.

As the meeting started, Leader of the Opposition Shabista Zaki termed the water supply project proposal incomplete , alleging that it lacked land allocation details and transparency. She also accused the administration of corruption during the Global Investors Summit (GIS)-2025, calling for a probe into related expenditures.

Towards the end, Congress corporators staged a protest in front of the dais, holding placards and demanding action over deteriorating road conditions in the city.

Demand to end deputation system

Congress corporator Mohammad Aziz s demand to remove deputed officers received rare bipartisan support, with BJP corporator Surendra Wadika and Congress member Mohammad Sarwar echoing his call. Commissioner Jain said that necessary action would be taken as per government norms.

Water supply project under fire

After the break, the 2MLD Water Supply Project proposal was presented. Several Congress corporators, including Devanshu Kansana, expressed concern that it would increase the load on the Upper Lake. Kansana cited a recent report of the Free Press in the House, which was published on Sunday. Despite protests, the proposal was passed by a majority vote.

Recruitment process under scrutiny

BJP corporator Devendra Bhargava criticised the ongoing recruitment process, alleging that the civic body has turned into an officers council . Corporator Ravindra Yati backed the claim, asserting that recruitments were happening without MIC (Mayor-in-Council) approval. The Chairman termed it a serious policy issue that must be formally discussed in the council.

Concerns over tender, quotation delays

Corporators expressed discontent that even small-scale works and festival arrangements were delayed due to lengthy tender procedures. They demanded simplification of the process to ensure the timely completion of minor tasks. The President assured corrective action.

City bus services to improve by December:

Congress Corporator Yogendra Chauhan expressed concern that the city s bus fleet had declined from 368 to just 60 operational buses. MIC member Manoj Rathore assured that the upcoming electric buses will improve connectivity.

Attending her first council meeting after assuming charge, BMC Commissioner Sanskriti Jain said one operator, Incubator, had assured that it would resume services with around 40 buses within a month.